What I find interesting about the article is that it mainly points out that the current killer is different from the examples given. The shotgun stalker has to be close to his victims. He’s obviously not a sniper in the pattern of Charles Whitman. I wonder if there are any examples of similar sniper killings it can be compared to.
This may be a little far-fetched. After reading some well written posts in this thread I think the hunter angle is a good guess. With the start of hunting season (here in Virginia anyway), this guy may some nut-bag that had his hunting license revoked. I know alot of people, in southern Virginia anyway, whose lives damn near revolve around killing animals with rifle/shotgun/bow. It shouldn’t be too hard for the police to get a list (or revokees) and match it up to owners of the .223. It might be an extremely long list, but who knows. Just my 2 cents.
Gus
Are hunting licenses revoked? My husband hunts, and he has to apply for a new one each year. I’m in Maryland, FWIW. It’s not like a driver’s license that’s good for a certain number of years and unlimited game; it’s only good for the year you apply for it, and it’s only for a limited amount of game.
WAG, if someone is convicted of certain crimes, I’m guessing they can’t get a hunting license in the first place?
Are hunting licenses revoked? My husband hunts, and he has to apply for a new one each year. I’m in Maryland, FWIW. It’s not like a driver’s license that’s good for a certain number of years and unlimited game; it’s only good for the year you apply for it, and it’s only for a limited amount of game.
WAG, if someone is convicted of certain crimes, I’m guessing they can’t get a hunting license in the first place?
I think Gus may have something. Perhaps it’s someone who was denied a hunting license this year. Long shot but maybe. I think it woudl be a mistake to only include those with registered .223 rifles though. Aside from the fact that they are extremely common it presumes that the sniper obtained his rifle through legal channels and registered it. The shooter is obviously taking steps to not get caught and avoiding a weapon registered to him is a pretty basic one.
jacksen9 Crazy =! Stupid.
To say this guy has a warped world view would be an understatement, but warped does not equal mental midget. It would be a mistake to underestimate him in this way.
My thought is that this guy is a bit older than others have proposed, maybe 40-50. On the one hand, his crimes indicate patience, planning, and efficiency; not something you find in most 10-25 year olds. On the other hand, killing so many people in so short a time is a bit rash if one doesn’t want to get caught, but on balance I think he is older.
He clearly has an understanding of firearms, but may not be a
‘gun nut’ of the militia model. Militia types, aka T. McVeigh would be more likely to go after symbolic targets.
I also doubt he is a terrorist in the Israel/suicide-bomber kinda way. I don’t see political overtones to what is being done here.
I suspect this person has been thinking about doing this for years and years. I think he is a loner, and that he is killing for the enjoyment and thrill he gets. He may have visited this area many times before, but may not live there or near there.
I think the ‘hunter’ mindset is what we are dealing with.
Supposedly he left a calling card at the child shooting. A death tarot card with a message that said, “I am god.” I want to think that one is either a copy cat or a hoax simply because it didn’t fit the previous profile. It may also be him trying to sidetrack the police in finding him.
I think its a woman, late 30’s, well educated, ex military, from a stable loving family background. She is trying to make everyone think its some asocial loner by leaving a tarot card. She’s pissed off at Oprah’s latest book of the month and demands satisfaction.
Of course, just like all the people in teh thread, I’m guessing.
Just to be different
Maybe it’s Miss Cleo, pissed off that she had to stop offering “free consultations”!
GGGGAAAAAHHHHHH!!!
Hamsters ate my first post!!!
::fume::
Anyway -
I’ll second Rhum’s assessment, and add the following:
I see the “rashness” as confidence - he’s sure that he can get away with it because he’s in control of the situation.
This is a power-trip for him, and he’s getting off on the precision of his shot, and control of the situation, and power over his victims. He’s reasonably intelligent, though I’d guess he has technical rather than college training. I’m not sure if the power-aspect of this is an assertion of his prowess, or an attempt to assert his power over a situation. I’d guess the former.
Either way I agree he’s probably more of a loner, though not socially inept. He’s probably quite egotistical.
I doubt that he’s fanatical about anything, or has any agenda other than the power angle.
The Tarot Card is a sign that he’s getting what he wants and is getting better. It may indicate that he’s an avid TV/Movie viewer: it carries a sense of drama. Besides, if I heard correctly one of the Today Show hosts drew a connection between the words ‘I am god’ and a movie that aired on TV within the past few weeks.
Regardless, the attention from the media is great, and definitely a part of the equation.
If there’s a sexual angle to it, he is clearly able to control that drive until he’s someplace safe: again, a measure of self control and awareness of danger to himself.
In profile terms he’s Organized.
He knows his weapons, and may have had paramilitary training or be a hunter, but that’s not “his thing”. Owning a gun is incidental to the kind of guy he is, not essential. (I.E. - he’s not militia, he’s not a “gun-nut”, etc.)
I want to see how this escalates, and I’m interested to see (when it all ends) if there was a “trigger” that started him off.
Anyway, FTR there’s my guess.
Rhum Runner
Maybe this person is able to make change and read newspapers. So. This person lacks the ability to think of a way to contribute to society. This person lacks the ability to understand the basic components of humanity. This meets my definition of a mental midget. I think it would be impossible to properly underestimate this freak. You can’t get that low.
Quaery:
Do we know, in fact, that one shot = one hit? In other words, has anyone reported a near miss?
Is it possible that a silencer is being used? http://www.compfxnet.com/opshop/viper.htm This could possibly give the shooter more than one chance at any given target.
I agree that the perp is very, very likely a white male, 20-40, some experience in weapons (not necessarily trained to military standard though), probably owns several weapons, certainly someone with great capacity for emotional detachment, and probably poor interpersonal skills–few, if any really close friends or attachments; a very “closed” person. Lower middle class, blames everyone but himself for not being where he feels he should be in life. He is employed, but in a fairly menial job, with little prestige.
I also think that he is really enjoying all the media attention, and may have a large collection of newspaper cuttings and/or videotape of news reports of his actions. He may also have a lot of literature on other spree killings (Whitman, for example).
I think the chances of terrorism in this case are extremely low.
It’s damn near (if not impossible) to prove a negative.
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I think the chances of terrorism in this case are extremely low. **
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I’m agreeing with you 100% on this one.
Well, I think that it’s a safe bet that more than one shot is not being fired. Two reasons spring to mind; with the 72 y.o. man who was shot in DC there was a report of one shot being fired. If there had been previous misses I’m sure they would have been reported.
The second reason is a bit more tenuous, and that is that there was Michael’s Craft store that had a round fired through its window the week before the excitement began. Assuming that the shot was fired by the sniper (which the police are investingating) then why didn’t he fire a second shot if that was his M.O. when he missed?
Let’s play a game: Spot the Horrendous Typos in My Post.
That makes the person a sociopath. It does not make them stupid. Its easy to write off those you fear as below you (its a natural reaction) but dont assume that this person is only capable of basic actions (making change, reading a newspaper) just because they are doing something horrible.
Many of the serial killers interviewed by John Douglas had IQs in the genius range.
Horrific behavior is not counter-indicative of intelligence.
jacksen9, you can’t loathe them enough, you can’t scorn them enough, you can’t belittle their worldview enough, but you CAN underestimate them, and that’s a bad idea.
Not an indictment, but separate your emotions from your analysis.
Word, MLC. And now, CNN is reporting that the tarot card note said “Mister Policeman: I am God.” I don’t recall ever hearing that it said “Mister” before. Can anyone do anything with that “Mister”? It seems kind of immature, almost childlike. (Yes, I know it’s one word–I’m an English major–I have to analyze these things.) Also, police are supposed to be releasing a “graphic aid” soon. Is that code for a composite sketch?
I just heard there was another shooting this morning – can anyone confirm?
