Sniper leaves message saying no child safe as bus driver shot

11.00am

ROCKVILLE, Maryland - The serial sniper terrorising a Washington suburb left a weekend message for police saying children in the area were not safe from his relentless killing spree "anywhere, at any time".

Montgomery County police chief Charles Moose told a news conference today police had received a communication from the killer who is suspected of killing ten people and wounding three since October 2.

The sniper's latest victim is thought to be bus driver Conrad Johnson who was shot dead overnight as he waited to begin his daily round.

Moose said the message had a postscript which stated, "Your children are not safe, anywhere at any time."

The message was reported to have been discovered by police on Saturday night at the scene of a shooting outside a Virginia steakhouse.

"We will be responding soon," Moose said. The police chief did not take questions from the media.

Police in the Washington area last night launched a massive manhunt after the driver, standing on the steps of his idled commuter bus, was fatally shot in the chest.

Authorities closed major roads and checked vehicles -- especially those driven by men -- as they scrambled to determine whether the fatal attack in Montgomery County, Maryland, was the work of sniper.

But it appeared the shooter evaded capture once again, despite the rapid deployment of law enforcement agents, backed by helicopters and dog teams.

Left behind was a pall of fear and anger and the gnawing sense that police -- long accustomed to the area's low murder rate -- could do nothing to protect citizens from the unseen gunman.

"We have not been able to assure that anyone, any age, any gender, any race. ... We have not been able to assure anyone their safety with regards to this situation," a somber Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose told a news conference.

The shooting of Mr Johnson, 35, around 6 am, shattered the morning rush-hour routine of the nation's capital, raising havoc just a day after investigators' hopes were dashed for a major break in the case.

In an intensive effort, an array of law enforcement officials, including FBI, Secret Service and other agents, joined the chase. Long lines of traffic snarled the roads.

"The law enforcement community is looking at this situation, certainly very similar to other situations we have been dealing with as a region. Evidence, ballistics will be gathered ... to determine whether this situation is linked," said Moose, who leads an area-wide sniper task force.

Police said the bus driver, who had been waiting at a side street used as a staging area for commuter buses, was shot in the chest as he stood on the top step of his vehicle.

While police sought ballistic evidence that could link the shooting to previous sniper assaults, it appeared similar to earlier attacks -- an apparent single shot, the proximity of a wooded area for cover, the stealthy escape of the assailant.

The latest incident took place on Connecticut Avenue, near where some of the original shootings took place.

The shooting spree has paralyzed the region. Schools have cancelled sports events and other outdoor activities and kept hundreds of thousands of students indoors during school hours. The schools were in a high state of alert with volunteer parents helping to patrol school grounds.

Residents, many drawn to the area by its parks, trails and other recreation sites, have grown increasingly frustrated at having to restrict their activities.

And business has been slowed by public reluctance to venture from home. Most of the shootings have been at shopping areas or gasoline stations.

"It's disturbing," said Robert Colwell, who lives near the scene of the latest attack.

Schools in Ashland, Virginia, the site of a shooting over the weekend, and elsewhere in the area around the Virginia capital of Richmond were to be closed for a second day on Tuesday even before the latest incident occurred.

The new shooting followed a day of dashed hopes that investigators had cracked the case with the detention of two men near Richmond, Virginia, on suspicion of ties to the sniper attacks.

But authorities later announced the two taken into custody were illegal aliens with no connection to the case. They were being held by immigration officials, pending deportation.

Police also were hoping to hear again from a mysterious caller involved in a cryptic dialogue with investigators.

Quoting law enforcement sources, The Washington Post said police had started such a dialogue with a man they believe is the serial gunman.

The newspaper said police began delivering messages through the media after they found a handwritten letter at the scene in Ashland, Virginia, 128km south of Washington.

On Monday Moose urged the caller to phone again, saying an earlier communication had not been clear.

"The person you called could not hear everything you said; the audio was unclear and we want to get it right," Moose said. "Call us back so that we can clearly understand."

Moose provided no details about who the caller might be and has not said whether the caller is the sniper. He disclosed on Sunday that police discovered a "message" at the scene of the Ashland shooting, which critically injured a 37-year-old man.

The unidentified man, who is not from Virginia, was shot on Saturday as he and his wife were leaving a restaurant. He was in critical but stable condition, said Dr. Rao Ivatury of the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals in Richmond.

Each of the victims has been hit with a single bullet from a high-powered rifle. The shootings have been linked by ballistics analysis.

- REUTERS

Further reading:
The Washington sniper

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