DC Sniper, an Email

Factual Questions
1

OK, I recieved the following via email forward. The diagrams can’t be shown (not here anyway, the original is a word document). The source of this forward is a, how should I say it, very dubious source. A friend who isn’t to honest. Needless to say I was wondering if anyone out there knows about the accuracy of the following.
Also, isn’t it the secret service, and not the SWAT team who would be surveying potential sights for assassins?

Hello everyone,

As you may already know I have been a SWAT Sniper for about 3 years. My specialty is Counter Sniper for Presidential and dignitary protection. What this basically means is, I am posted at certain locations looking for a sniper/assassin. Once a threat is detected, I am charged in countering his/her ability to attack by early detection and neutralizing (killing) him/her.

Now on to business…
This Sniper killing people in the DC Metro area is a skilled sharpshooter and very calculated. Unfortunately he appears very disturbed and has just left a calling card stating he was God. What that probably means is he may escalate the matter by increasing the rate of killing in each attack because he acknowledges the police’s hot pursuit. This sniper knows it’s a matter of time before he is discovered. He thinks he is superior to everyone, but knows eventually he will be caught. He is playing a very sick game that he feels he is winning. He will probably want to sensationalize his confrontations with the police and eventually stop running and have a standoff. The police may be his future targets.

It is very important that you adjust your regular routine because this is a very deadly individual. I am going to give you my personal/professional advice on the matter.

The Sniper’s MO (his methods) are the following.
a. 1st wave of attacks were concentrated in an area the suspect was very familiar with.
b. It appears these initial attacks were closer, probably less than 100 yards away. Witnesses were hearing loud cracks.
c. He definitely is showing off. He is trying to maintain 100 %, one shot for one kill. (Sniper’s creed).
d. He is probably not shooting the first person that appears. He is looking for the highest probable kill. This encompasses distance, position, and movement of the individual and excludes physical barriers (vehicles, tress, columns, etc).
e. He is shooting from areas adjacent to major roadways, thoroughfares, highways, etc. (quick egress). First group was within a couple of miles from beltway. Child shot in Bowie was a block away from the US 50 on the 197.
f. He went up to northern Virginia (70 miles away) to throw police off his trail (diversion, used by snipers for stalking targets and eluding enemy).
g. He is making this to be a giant ‘Stalk’ around the Metro area. It is a game now. He wants them to come after him (like he is in his own war against the enemy).
h. He is probably using any foliage (tree line, woods, bushes) that is around the malls, shopping center, gas stations, and parking lots.
i. He is able to shoot accurately out to 500 yards (5 football fields) with or without a scope (depends on individual’s abilities).
j. The farther out he/she is, the more difficult of course it is to detect or pinpoint location. This aids in egress as well. (He knows this).

My advice to you all is to consider the following.

  1. Avoid unnecessary errands.
  2. Bring someone along.
  3. Do not stand outside your vehicle grabbing things out the car.
  4. If you go to the store, put items in back seat of car (nothing in trunk) so that you can grab items and exit quickly.
  5. When slowing down or at a stop, keep windows closed (glass deflects bullets, he knows this and he is not shooting through glass anymore).
  6. Never walk straight to a door more than 20 feet away. Zig zag and walk at angels. The shooter is setting up on doorways/entrances and waiting for victims to line up on entrance. The hardest shot for a sniper is a target traversing laterally to his/her position (perpendicular, see Diag. 1).

Diag. 1

Diag. 2

· Walk between cars, use them for protection, and NEVER walk in a straight line to a doorway. Park as close as possible. (See Diag. 2)

· Be mindful of wooded areas and any bushes around establishment. More than likely surrounding areas. Look for reflections (glare of the scope or weapon).
· Use drive-thru at fast food
· Look around and make it obvious (looking over your shoulder in the distant) he may hesitate if they think someone notices him. Point to what you are looking at as well. You want to telegraph yourself to others and get them involved.
· Keep clear of abandoned vehicles, but concern yourself with them. He is probably parking along roads and walking to his shooting position.
· You are probably safer inside the DC area only because congestion will prevent him an easy egress for the sniper. So if there is a toss up for a store then pick the inner city (not the outer boundaries).

The main thing is being careful. Everyone is at risk even the police. He is able to pick the time and place so he has the overall advantage over the police. If you still have difficulty sorting it out, then just stay home (smile). These are just my opinions and hopefully can help in your daily activities. Take care.

2

I live in the DC area, though that is not particularly relevant to your question. I also received this very recently. I would agree with your assessement that there is no local police SWAT team sending out police snipers to find would-be presidential assassins. I do not know if the Secret Service uses the term SWAT for its own teams, however.

Regardless of the authenticity of the source of the document, I would say that whoever wrote it probably is offering good advice as far as sniper shooting and the avoidance thereof, though I would be highly skeptical of his conclusions about the pscyhology and strategies of one particular sniper. He does not seem to reveal any striking information not available to the public, but at least appears to understand something about sniper training (but an authenticated trained sniper would have to comment on that).

The version I got has been forwarded so many times I have no hope of determining the original source.

3

Also, when I got it, it was several forwards in, and the original source (on the list) wouldn’t respond to me.
This leads me to doubt the authenticity of it.

4

Also, when I got it, it was several forwards in, and the original source (on the list) wouldn’t respond to me.
This leads me to doubt the authenticity of it.

5

For those who might not know, SWAT stands for Special Weapons and Tactics.

Here are some interesting links about SWAT teams.

http://www.bcpd.org/SWAT.html

This site mentions that the role of a SWAT team includes “anti-sniper situations”.

http://www.specialoperations.com/Domestic/LAPD/default.html

And this site says:

“The special weapons and tactics concept originated in the late 1960s as a result of several sniping incidents against civilians and police officers around the country.”

I think that’s a strong statement in support of SWAT teams being used in the DC situation.

http://www.ndsn.org/JULY97/SWAT.html

http://fcswat.tripod.com/swat1.html

This site gives details about their training, etc.

I am neither supporting nor discarding the claims made in the email. Just offering independent information.

6

This is actually up on Snopes already as being “Undetermined”:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/sniper.htm

7

The following statements from the E-mail are certainly false:

> This Sniper killing people in the DC Metro area is a skilled
> sharpshooter and very calculated.
> He is able to shoot accurately out to 500 yards (5 football
> fields) with or without a scope (depends on individual’s
> abilities).

Not according to what I’ve read. The shooting that the sniper has done makes him a good marksman, but it wouldn’t require an expert sharpshooter. It’s estimated that none of the shootings was from more than 150 yards away. There’s no reason to think that he’s an expert sharpshooter. For one thing, he’s not using a true sniper’s rifle. The rifle he’s using is too weak and not quite accurate enough to be a good SWAT sniper’s rifle.

In general, if someone claims to be someone with an official position (like “Sniper for Presidential and dignitary protection”) in a piece of spam E-mail but doesn’t give their name, it’s almost certainly a lie.

The E-mail also says:

> 1st wave of attacks were concentrated in an area the suspect
> was very familiar with.
> He went up to northern Virginia (70 miles away) to throw police
> off his trail (diversion, used by snipers for stalking targets and
> eluding enemy).

Maybe. On the other hand, maybe he lives in Virginia and decided to start his killing spree somewhere far from his home. Afterwards, he decided to do some shootings in Virginia for a change.

This E-mail certainly didn’t come from an official announcement, since the style, grammar, and punctuation are rather weak.

8

If this were true, don’t you think it would be found elsewhere? CNN, gov’t site?

9

In the history of the human species, no person, business, or government entity with a legitimate message to propagate has ever chosen to do so via an anonymous e-mail chain letter.

10

Don’t you think it’s a little unfair to cite the entire history of the human species, jklann? I mean, E-mail wasn’t even invented until like, the 14th century.

11

And if it had been around earlier, Roman inboxes would have been filled with swill, like, “The Senate has asked that you stand on your porch with a lit candle to demonstrate our solidarity against the Carthaginians. Apollo will see you when he passes overhead.”