Sniper Shootings Bring Terror to Washington Area

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, October 08, 2002

Sniper Shootings Bring Terror to Washington Area

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Boy Shot Outside US Middle School

A 13-year-old boy was shot and critically wounded Monday outside a school in Maryland's Prince George's County near Washington, bringing fresh terror to the densely-populated area surrounding the US capital where a sniper already killed six people last week.

The boy, who sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest while his aunt dropped him off at school, was listed in critical but stable condition.

Last week, six people were shot dead in broad daylight in Maryland's Montgomery County and neighboring Washington, and a woman was wounded in Virginia.

Ballistic tests found the bullet that struck the boy was identical to those that killed some of the others and wounded the woman, said Joe Riehl, an agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco and Firearms.

The victims last week were all shot in public places: two at gas stations, one outside a grocery, another outside a post office, another as he mowed the grass at an auto dealership, and the sixth, a 72-year-old man, killed on a Washington street corner. Each victim was shot once from a distance. The victims were of both sexes, and of varying races and ages.

"All of our victims have been innocent and defenseless," Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said,

President George W. Bush condemned the recent sniper shootings in the Washington area and pledged federal help to hunt down the killer.

"In recent days, we have witnessed a series of cowardly and senseless acts of violence in the greater Washington area," Bush said in a written statement Monday.

Bush has ordered profiling experts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and ballistics analysts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to assist the local police in the investigation of the case.

He also directed the departments of Education and Health and Human Services to help the students, teachers and families affected by the violence.

Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are tracking down the shooter behind the random killings, who was described as a marksman using a high-power hunting or military rifle.

Investigators said they had thousands of tips, but they conceded it would take time to track down a suspect.

Montgomery County has set a 500,000 reward for information leading to the shooter's conviction.

"This community is in a state of fear, of anxiety," said Douglas Duncan, Montgomery County executive. There are nearly 4 million residents of the greater Washington area.

After the Prince George's shooting, Montgomery officials initiated a "code blue" alert, keeping students inside during recess and lunchtime, Moose said. Prince George's schools and some other schools in the region took similar precautionary measures. Police stepped up patrols Monday.

Montgomery County officials asked parents to escort their children to school Tuesday and serve as safety patrol volunteers.

Sept. 11 "just opened our eyes up to let us know that we're vulnerable to a terrorist attack, but this random shooting, you can't describe it," said Washington mailman Donzell Cockrell, a 28-year veteran of the postal service.

"No one seems safe because we don't see a pattern," said CurtisHsia, who teaches psychology at Azusa Pacific University. "You can literally just be out in your yard and be shot."

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