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An investigator crouches low to the curb at the exit ramp of Spotsylvania Mall. Maryland and federal agencies sent officers here to search for links to shootings in Montgomery County and Washington.
Spotsylvania sheriff's Maj. Howard Smith answers questions after yesterday's shooting of a 43-year-old woman.
A helicopter carrying members of the Montgomery County, Md., Police Department landed in front of Pizza Hut at the Spotsylvania Mall.
A 43-year-old mother of three was loading packages into the rear of this minivan when she was shot Investigators search the minivan's hatch. A bullet hole can be seen at the bottom right corner, below the taillight. |
Authorities probe link to Md. spree
Moments after a sniper shot a 43-year-old woman in the back outside Michaels Arts and Crafts in Spotsylvania County, frightened customers and employees gathered in a circle to pray.
"Everyone had tears in their eyes," said Stafford resident Janice Herbert, who was there buying picture frames yesterday afternoon. "No one could believe this was happening here."
Police say the 2:30 p.m. shooting in front of Spotsylvania Mall is "strikingly" similar to a series of deadly sniper attacks in Montgomery County, Md., and Washington earlier in the week.
A helicopter carrying Montgomery police detectives landed near the mall Pizza Hut about 5:45 p.m., and they immediately joined dozens of local investigators, state police, FBI and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agents already swarming the parking lot in search of clues.
"Certainly it is interesting, and we feel it is important enough to send investigators there," Montgomery police Chief Charles Moose said last night.
Spotsylvania sheriff's Maj. Howard Smith, however, stopped well short of connecting the incident with the Maryland and Washington shootings during a brief press conference last night.
"There is no way to tell right now if there is a connection," Smith said after being briefed by investigators. "But we will be working closely with the Maryland authorities."
Police found evidence at the scene, and some was taken by helicopter to an ATF lab in Maryland, Smith said.
The woman's brown Toyota Sienna minivan also was taken to the lab. It was loaded into an enclosed trailer to be moved.
The shooting victim, a mother of three who lives in Spotsylvania, was putting packages in the back of her minivan when a bullet struck the lower right side of her back, Spotsylvania sheriff's Capt. Michael Timm said. She was alone at the time.
The bullet went through her back and came out under her left breast, police said, before leaving a hole in the back of her vehicle.
Detectives believe the shot might have been fired from the area near Pizza Hut, across the road leading into the mall.
Smith said that as of last night, police had come upon no one who actually witnessed the shooting. He said someone reported seeing a light-colored car speeding away, but he said it's not at all clear if that vehicle had any connection to the shooting.
The woman was conscious and alert when she was loaded into an ambulance bound for Mary Washington Hospital. She was later flown by helicopter to Inova Fairfax Hospital. She was in serious but stable condition last night. Police did not release her name.
Authorities said there appeared to be no motive for the shooting.
"This seems to be a random act," Timm said.
In Maryland, the gun used was a high-powered rifle. Spotsylvania authorities wouldn't say what type of gun was used in the shooting here.
Police checked out a white box-type truck, similar in description to the vehicle seen in one of the Maryland shootings, parked near Michaels yesterday.
Timm said police don't believe the truck was related to the shooting.
Windows of a Michaels store in Aspen Hill, Md., about 70 miles north of Fredericksburg, were shot out Wednesday in what police said was the first of a series of shootings that left six dead in Maryland and Washington.
The Spotsylvania Michaels closed early yesterday as police interviewed customers and employees.
"Our first concern is not only for the health and welfare of the woman who was shot, but also for our associates and other customers," store spokesman Tom Clary said. "We're not going to assume that someone is specifically targeting Michaels. It's still apparent that these seem to be random acts."
The terrifying incident led to frenzied rumors in the Fredericksburg area yesterday afternoon. Some local schools went into lockdown mode, and officials summoned police to make sure students were safe.
A number of teens were gathered near the scene of the shooting last night. A group of Chancellor and Courtland high school students said they came even though an announcement over their school intercoms urged them to stay away.
Rumors of other shootings were still running rampant last night. Various people at the scene said they had heard of gunshots fired at a nearby grocery store, high school and other places. One national radio station went as far as to report a second shooting in the Massaponax area.
Police repeatedly insisted there were no other such incidents.
Local police departments last night had additional officers on duty just in case.
"We're beefing up patrols in shopping centers and high-traffic areas," Stafford sheriff's Maj. David Decatur said. "We want to be high-visibility to deter the possibility of anything else happening."
In Maryland, police confirmed that the shooting death of a 72-year-old man on a Washington street Thursday night was connected to the Montgomery slayings.
Police hunting for the killer pulled over white vans and plastered orange stickers on the back to show the vehicles had been checked. Moose said investigators were chasing more than 200 leads.
Each Maryland and Washington victim was fatally felled by a single bullet, apparently from a high-powered rifle or handgun. Police said evidence indicated the killer was some distance away and used .223-caliber bullets.
Authorities in Spotsylvania weren't sure last night what type of bullet was used in the shooting at Michaels.
But the incident left people in the region shaken and afraid to go about their daily routines.
King George County resident Beatrice Davis said she hopes police find that all of the victims have something in common that proves to be a motive.
"I refuse to believe that someone's out there shooting people at random," said Davis.
In times like these, she said, people need to prepare to meet their maker. "The devil's having a good time right now."
Maj. Smith said police are as concerned as anyone, but he urged residents to go about their lives as normally as possible.
"It's very shocking, especially for this area," Smith said. "But though people should be cautious, they need to go on with their daily routines."
Smith said police hope citizens will provide information that will eventually lead to an arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to call Spotsylvania County Crime Solvers at 582-5822.
