Shooting tonight: 7 miles from my house.

The BBQ Pit
1

Ok this shit is getting way to fucking close to home.

Yesterday my son (age 7) came home and asked me if he was going to get shot. In school he asked his teacher if he was safe at school.

This morning I drove him to school and talked with his teacher. There were 2 motorcycle cops, a patrol car, and an officer on foot guarding the school. The school policy is for the kids to wait outside until the doors are unlocked at 8:05. This morning the doors were all manned and kids were being ushered in as they arrived. There is no outside recess.

And then tonight, another shooting. The same guy? A copycat? I’m not sure which is worse, though a copycat means that there are TWO psychos out there instead of one…

The other shootings have bothered me, but I didn’t really feel threatened. Until tonight. I put the address of the gas station from tonight’s shooting and the address of my house into MapQuest and did the “driving directions”…

http://fff.fathom.org/pages/opalcat/manassas-shooting-map.png

7.76 miles. AND it’s pretty much a straight line down one major road. We can practically spit on that road from our house, and the gas station is pretty much right next to it as well.

Dominic’s school is even closer.

Odds are that my family will not be hurt. However, odds were also that that guy wouldn’t be hurt, and now he’s dead. And the odds are getting worse. While the attacks were in Maryland, it was slim. When they got to Fredericksburg, they were worse. Now they’re just down the fucking street, and I’m seriously upset.

And there is NOT A DAMNED THING I CAN DO ABOUT IT! I feel so fucking useless. I’ll be driving Dominic to school… the drop off place is about 30 feet from the door. Other than that, what? I don’t really leave the house much so I’m not worried about me, but I can’t just keep Dominic home from school indefinitely. My husband can’t just not go to work.

Someone needs to find this guy and turn him into a grease spot and do it soon.

2

Ame, sister! Yeah, the stats are good that no one individual will get shot in an area inhabited by millions, but that people are getting shot at all is extremely upsetting. Even though I know that there is no way I or my boyfriend will get hit, still I find myself looking around when I’m walking to the Metro and the bf and I are staying in at night.

3

This sucks ass.

Opal, I live in Fairfax, which is admittedly not right in the zone of fire of Manassas, but I can tell you that many of my neighbors are scared shitless. My wife or myself are now driving the kids to school (typically a less than 5 minute walk), and no longer use the nearest gas station (across the street from a big wooded area), nearest grocery store (ditto) and I’m driving instead of biking to work.

This morning my wife, who is normally a very nice person with kind thoughts, was reciting a list of things she hoped befell the guy before he could kill again. Many of them aren’t fit for publication, even here.

I just wish the fuckhead wasn’t such a coward. I’d gladly show this dickhole a thing or two about terror, but at close range.

4

That is scary shit. One minor consolation though: city dwellers live with those kinds of distances pretty much all the time.

5

Opal, I can completely understand your fear and frustration.

I spent part of my childhood in Gaithersburg, Maryland, so I am taking these shootings pretty personally. I have no kids, but I wonder, if I were a mom, would I be sending my children to school this week if I still lived in the DC area? I am not sure of the answer to this. People must be frightened just to go shopping or to work. This is so nervewracking.

Hope all you Dopers stay safe and sound.

6

I’m flying into BWI today, then taking the train to the Camden Yards stop and walking the mile and a half to the marina. I hate to admit that I’m more worried about the sniper than the rain. I heard on the news that witnesses saw two men drive off in a white Dodge Caravan. In fact, I heard a lot of stuff on the news that seemed indiscreet, but maybe the police want certain things said??

What next?

7

I live in Manassas. Recently moved here from…the Aspen Hill area of Maryland, the scene of many of the first shootings. My wife and I frequently shopped at that Michael’s store, 2 blocks from our apartment.

Now, we live on the other side of Manassas as the Sunoco station, but I pass it every day on my way to work. Sure was a busy scene this morning.

I don’t let some yahoo control my life; but my wife is afraid to leave the house. She’s rather timid to start with, and this IS NOT HELPING.

8

'Tis worrisome when you start to wish there were vigilanties such as Batman around to take these bastards out, eh?

9

But most murders aren’t completely random like this.

10

20 or so miles from my house, too. And one of the shootings was “at” a gas station I’m told is a few blocks from where one of my cousins (and her four daughters) lives.

This guy can, like, go away. Like, now.

Totally, fer shur.

11

I don’t blame you for being scared. I’ve been reading about the shootings and I’d have very serious thoughts about moving temporarily. This guy is very angry and very good. I hope he puts the bullet to his own brain soon.

12

Very angry? OK, I’ll buy that…

Very good? That I don’t buy. Rational people don’t do things like this. He (or they) will screw up, and probably soon. If this shooting rampage continues, there will be an arrest within a few days, I think (and pray).

Until then, stay safe everyone!

13

Opal, I sympathise with your worry and don’t mean to add to it, but given your concerns perhaps you could ask for the link in the OP to be removed since it means your home address could be quite easily found out. Giving out such details on the net is really never a good idea.

14

Irrational and skilled aren’t mutually exclusive. I’m not saying he won’t screw up somehow or be caught, but it’d be foolish to think that because he’s doing something extreme, he’s also careless.

15

Last night’s shooting…

3 miles from my house.
It took me 6 hours to drive to Philly last Friday because 95 was shut down.

I’m beginning to wonder if I should have stayed there…

16

I live in Falls Church…right near 7 Corners. My boyfriend drives by there every day to go to work. We shop there. This is way too close! Even though I know, statistically, I stand a 1:several million chance of getting hit by the sniper…still there’s the undeniable psychological effect of such a horrendous and random event happening so close to me and mine.

I feel so sorry for that poor woman and especially her husband, seeing his wife murdered in front of him.

17

Francesca: I doubt my house could be found from that map. It’s from the main intersection near my house, and my house is in a HUGE development, amid several other big developments.

18

That there is a statistical chance in hell of any of the DC/VA-area dopers getting shot is more than enough:(

19

But there really isn’t much of a chance; that’s the comforting power of math. That anyone is getting shot is horrendous, but that you or anyone you know will be shot is a very low probability. The ratio of Dopers:number of people in the metro DC area is sufficiently low that I feel confident noone you care for will be harmed.
But, of course, it would be wonderful if this monster were caught and nobody else were to die.