Beltway Shooter May Not Be Using
Rifle, Experts Say
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Congressional Bureau Chief
October 15, 2002
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Much attention has been focused on
the "rifle" used to shoot ten people, killing eight of them,
in the Washington, D.C., area. But what if the so-called "Beltway
Sniper" isn't using a rifle?
"We're
willing, at this point, and able to say that from a 90-percent accuracy,
we're dealing with a high-speed-velocity round," Montgomery County
Police Chief Charles Moose said Oct. 4, the morning after four people
were murdered in the same day.
"We're dealing with someone shooting from a distance," he
continued, "someone using a high-velocity round, 90 percent sure
that it is a .223 round from a rifle."
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) later
displayed four "samples" of various rifles chambered for .223
ammunition, the round police say has been used in each of the shootings.
Investigators also displayed a number of carrying cases commonly used to
transport the types of rifles shown to the media. Authorities have
encouraged citizens to phone their toll-free tip line if they see anyone
in the area of one of the shootings with a rifle, or with one of the
carrying cases.
The public has also been encouraged to contact police about anyone who
owns a .223 rifle, who has been acting in a suspicious or unusual manner
since the murders began Oct.2.
But Neal Knox - former president of the National Rifle Association's
Institute for Legislative Action, who now heads the Firearms Coalition -
warned Monday that authorities may be overlooking another possible
weapon in the murders - a handgun chambered in the .223 or similar
caliber.
Hand-fired weapons capable of firing the .223 or similar rounds include
three that provide for the mounting of a telescopic sight, which would
improve accuracy at the 100 to 150-yard range from which investigators
believe the sniper is firing.
One of the weapons is the Kimber Predator, a modified version of
Kimber's M-85 bolt-action rifle. Another is the Remington
"Fireball," a bolt-action handgun chambered for the .221
caliber, which was first produced in the mid-1960s. The third is the
Thompson Contender, a single shot, "break open" style gun,
which is "capable of serious long range shooting," according
to the company's website.
The killer has fired a single shot in each of the attacks.
"Because it's smaller, either a Contender or Fireball would be
ideal for sniping from a car if you had a sandbag between the butt and
the window frame," Knox explained.
Glenn Beach, an ATF firearms examiner, acknowledged the existence of
handguns that fire .223 rounds, but claimed they are rarely used,
"especially when you're dealing with long ranges, for accuracy's
sake."
Dennis Jackson, an advisor to Armed Females of America, disagreed. He
told CNSNews.com Monday that it is "very realistic" to
consider the possibility that the shooter could be using such a firearm.
"They are accurate for a handgun," said Jackson, who has fired
the Thompson Contender. "People need to think outside the
box."
Knox estimated the accuracy of the .223 or similar caliber handguns at
"about one inch at 100 yards."
"I've shot Fireballs that were capable of 1/4-inch,
center-to-center, five shots at 100 yards," he added. "That's
as good as the very best specially modified AR-15 [semi-automatic
rifles], and as good as many bench rifles."
Handguns chambered for .223 are typically less than 18 inches in total
length and approximately 6 inches tall. They could be easily concealed
in a nylon or hard sided briefcase, or a padded bag made especially for
handgun storage and carrying.
After the eighth murder occurred near Fredericksburg, VA, Friday,
authorities closed several interstate highways and other major arteries
to search white vans fitting the description of one seen leaving the
location of the shooting. Observers noted that police seemed to be
quickly looking inside the vehicles for a rifle or storage container
similar to the ones shown to the media.
"They're looking for a needle in a haystack because [the .223] is
such a common round," Jackson noted. "This is giving them
another alternative."
Chief Moose refused to answer questions Monday about the specific type
of weapon the sniper might be using, saying, "We didn't come out
here to speculate."
Police have been tight-lipped about details of the investigation since
media outlets reported the discovery of a tarot card inscribed with the
words, "Mr. Policeman, I am God," at one of the crime scenes.
Critics say authorities are too concerned with building a criminal case,
and that releasing more details could help friends, family members or
coworkers of the killer identify him as a potential suspect.
