Not sure if this should go here in GQ, but here we go…
The latest Ohio shooting, on Saturday morning, was his 24th. It’s been going on for 3 months now. This guy is shooting in plain view, with many witnesses. This report quotes Jack Levin, a criminologist and director of the Brudnick Center on Violence at Northeastern University, saying “He’s sending a message to police: ‘You’re not as close as you think you are. I can shoot in broad daylight, and you still won’t find me.’”
In the case of the DC Snipers, there was an FBI hotline set up for people to call in with tips. They also had Chief Moose giving regular updates. CNN was all over it like white on rice. In the end, it was the media’s broadcasting that helped capture Malvo and Muhammad.
So my question is: Why is the Ohio Serial Highway Shooter not getting the same amount of media coverage as DC Snipers did?
I was quite surprised to see an article on this buried in the front page section, barely 2 inches long. I’d never heard of it until yesterday (I live in Florida). So it’s getting practically no media down here.
Pool is probably right…the Ohio Serial Highway Shooter (OSHS) has not killed as many people as the DC snipers. One woman I believe has been killed. However, do not let the lack of media attention make you think the police out there are not on full alert…and you can bet any sum of money there are plain clothes cops in unmarked cars driving that highway day and night…
You’re probably right. But the fact remains that the cops were on full alert in the DC case. It’s probably safe to assume there were plain clothes cops in unmarked cars then too. When it came down to it, it was the cooperation between law enforcement, media, and the general public that caught Malvo and Muhammad. Without one of those three, there could have quite possibly been another death.
While this guy doesn’t have the same marksmanship as in the DC case, and hasn’t killed as many people, he’s STILL SHOOTING AT CARS! Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
How many deaths does it take before it’s media-worthy? And then we have to ask ourselves: Is our thirst for blood feeding the beast (media), or is the beast training us for a thirst for blood? If I had friends or family in Ohio, I’d be very concerned. I’d be just as traumatized living there now as living in DC at the time of the Sniper.
Cheeky, my relatives *in * Columbus assure me that everyone there, assuredly including the local media, is quite intensely aware of the situation, as you might expect. Check dispatch.com or wbns.com for the best local news, if you’re interested. If there’s something not being done that would actually help find the bastard, not just divert law-enforcement resources up blind alleys, then let’s hear about it. Certainly the actual eyewitness sightings in the Pataskala shooting are starting another huge round of hot leads that the police should be allowed to sort out.
Meanwhile, the lesser national/international coverage of the situation there, it seems to me, actually helps avoid a feeding frenzy. If it were being saturation-covered as the Washington cases were, wouldn’t you be able to criticize that as panic-mongering and “if it bleeds, it leads” news editing? Isn’t it better this way - that the people in danger have all the information they need, and those who aren’t are not being pandered to?
Note too that Muhammad and Malvo virtually turned themselves in with all those taunting messages to the police - that hasn’t happened in Ohio yet.
There’s been one death plus a number of cars and trucks with bullet holes. (Without the death, I doubt anyone would have made a connection between the other shootings).
There’s been plenty of media coverage of the shootings in the Columbus area. I really doubt that intense press scrutiny in Florida or hourly bulletins on CNN are going to solve anything. Based on what seems like the increasing carelessness of this bozo (including letting himself be seen), one can hope he’ll be caught before anyone else gets hurt.
I’m in Columbus. I’m glad the national media isn’t crawling all over town.
I think the way this has been handled by local law enforcement has been exemplary. Even the local media hasn’t been too bad, not going completely overboard with it.
There is a hotline number established. It’s not an FBI number, because the FBI isn’t much involved, as the shooter hasn’t crossed state lines (has barely crossed county lines). The FBI has provided some assistance, and the local people have been in contact with the DC law enforcement people to get advice based on their experience with the DC sniper.
There haven’t been many witnesses. Until this past Saturday, I hadn’t heard of anyone being able to give a decent description of him. I think the victim from the Saturday before was able to notice that it was a man with a handgun, but that’s about it.
The cops are on full alert. From what I’ve been able to tell, they have been responding quite rapidly to reports. I-70 runs right past my house. A man reported a possible gunshot near the exit I use to get off the highway to come home. Cops were everywhere, with helicopters, and they shut down the highway to investigate. Turned out to be a combination of a rock and a very cold day causing the window to shatter. At least that’s what they said on the news.
While we are aware of the situation, and more alert when driving in areas the shooting have been in, none of the people are know are in any real fear of their lives. This guy isn’t a sniper aiming to kill people. This is some whack job taking potshots at cars (and barns and houses and maybe even some empty school buses - don’t remember if they ever connected that to the others). Yes, he has killed one person, and it is quite possible he may kill another, but I don’t think that’s what he’s trying to do - as opposed to the DC snipers.
Overall, I’m quite happy with the way things are being handled. There’s nothing a mass media-induced panic would do to catch this guy any sooner.
As noted, in Ohio the case is getting a lot of attention.
A few other things to remember:
While there have been 24 shootings identified, several of them date back to last June with, initially, wide gaps between shooting dates. Several of the shootings were initially thought to be solitary incidents and/or stray rounds. It was not until one resulted in a death that the police began looking for a patern and discovered the earlier shootings.
The number of shootings appears to have increased with the increase in publicity. The guy has only recently stepped into the role of taunting the police–almost certainly as aresult of more media attention on his passtime.
I have to disagree with a few opinions posted here.
I do not think that law enforcement has done everything they can/should do. That was evident from the moment the first person was killed. Suddenly, it is released that there had been 8 or 9 previous incidents but never once was this relayed to the public until after some was killed. Since then, this guy is shooting a handgun randomly at cars from over-passes in broad daylight and we’ve gotten nowhere.
I also disagree about the media coverage. I have CNN on during the day and almost every day there is an update story coinciding with the latest developments. In addition, international media are picking up the story. My in-law’s in Moscow even commented as it made their news.
I don’t recall where I read it but a Ohio Policeman suggested that this could be the result of a gang entrance test - you have to shoot at a car to get in; in which case it’s not just one person.
He has only been definitely seen twice (with one earlier suspected sighting) and those all in the last two weeks. I will not claim that the police are “doing enough,” but barring a close description of the person or his license plates, I’m not sure that they can be pilloried for having failed to nab him after he shot from an overpass and drove off before a person caught on the freeway with no exits could get a closer look at him.
True enough, there has been two sightings in the last two weeks and my statement was a bit of an overstatement combined with a bit of frustration. I still do not think a case can be made that the police are doing enough. Besides a tip line, there is not a whole lot the public can see that indicates there is much going on. I’m not saying that it does not exist, but there certainly does not appear on the surface anything to refute the impression.