<font color = lightgreen>I don't know if you've heard about this or not. Just like those guys some years ago who wore all the heavy body armor and had a shoot-out with the police, this is something right out of a movie or a comic book.
That the first victim was at 6pm on Wednesday and none others were shot until the next morning suggests that they waited to see if they could "get away" with the first one. Yes, they. At least one driver and one shooter; they probably took turns.

I can see only two possible paths here, since there seem to be no connections between the victims except for vicinity: terrorism or thrill-killing.
I suspect it isn't terrorism, because terrorists would have kept on killing until they were caught or killed. [img]graemlins/erm.gif[/img] I just realized--this could have been a "practice run" for a subsequent attack....
Similar to serial killers, thirll-killers get a taste for it and then do it some more. There do seem to be only two, thank goodness, but they most likely won't be able to contain their sick excitement--they'll have to tell someone.

I designed a super-hero game scenario like this some years ago. The shooters picked targets at random to cover another crime taking place somewhere else.

I doubt many citizens in that city will get much sleep or peace until the gunmen are stopped. </font>

Jeez, I know, it was close to where MagiK lives. When we hadn't heard from him in a while and then he turned up with a thread called "a sad farewell," it really gave me a turn, I can tell you. They say that more than one is involved. Hope they catch them and put them in a cell with John Walker Lindh. [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img]

[ 10-04-2002, 07:54 PM: Message edited by: Attalus ]

<font color = lightgreen>I know what you mean. So close to the capital, this has to have the President and the military on edge. For now, though, it is strictly an FBI/ATF/local law enforcement affair.

Catch them all and give them a one-way ticket to ADX in Colorado.</font>

It is pretty scary, it is also very close to where I live as well. Been all over the news, really sad hearing about all those innocent people just going about their chores and daily activities to be gunned down for no reason. Whoever these murderers are, they are good marksmen I'll say that, can kill from a distance with one shot, and have really big high powered rifles to boot. What I hate about this is that there are no witnesses to the crimes. Nobody knows what these people look like, and only one witness describes that box truck. But I'd think at this point the box truck (if indeed that truck held the killers, nobody knows for sure, it was just driving off at a high rate of speed very soon after one of the murders) has been dumped, as again everyone and their mother is alerted to keeping an eye out for box trucks on the news. I think the fact that they can shoot from such a far distance is what has kept any witnesses from spotting them, one tends to give most attention to the victim and the very near vicinity at first when this type of thing happens. I really hope somehow they can catch whoever is doing this. There was yet another murder this evening in Spotsylvania, VA, but they don't know yet if it is related or not, but it was very similar to the other murders, just some women coming out of a mall to her car and getting gunned down. Luckily she wasn't killed like the others, and may later after surgery be able to add more info on the killers. It's scary though, I find myself moving much more quickly outside in public, so I don't make myself any sitting target. Who knows who they are, or where they are, or if they are still out for blood since they've done such a splendid job of not being caught. :(

It's beyond me why anyone does this sort of thing. Shooting someone in the *back* from 600 meters away makes me feel so powerful. :rolleyes: I hope these maniacs are caught soon.

*sigh*
Yet another reason for gun control. A real shame that our society produces these kind of people, unfortunately they have probably reached their goal in the raw amount of press their awful actions have received.

Another reason for gun control? I'm sorry but I don't believe that would help the situaion very much. If people really want a gun they can get it off the streets.

True, but it'd be tougher to get a higher powered rifle, and if it can prevent one murder *shrug.* Let's not let this get into a snit over gun control, I probably shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place. ;)

<font color = lightgreen>Of course you can mention gun control in relation to this topic. This is an open discussion, you know. [img]graemlins/beigesmilewinkgrin.gif[/img]

Anyway, I agree with redblueflare--properly enforced gun control laws will not stop someone from purchasing a illegal gun from the trunk of a car in an alley somewhere. It is known that criminal organizations keep collections of illegal guns that get circulated around the country to minimize the likelihood that they will be traced.

Do be careful, LadyZekke.</font>

Yes! DO be careful, LadyZ! This is pretty scary, mainly because it does seem so random that nobody can be sure it isn't going to happen to them or someone they know. :(