New Fatal Shooting in Va.; Van Sought

Oct. 11, 2002 -- A man shot to death today at a gas station in Fredericksburg, Va., sparking fears that an elusive sniper who has struck nine times in the last 10 days has killed again.

Police are looking for a white Chevy Astro minivan with a ladder on the roof that was seen leaving the scene with two people inside. Investigators asked the public to be on the lookout for the van and contact them with any tips.

"As has been reported, we are looking for a white Astro van with a ladder on top," said Montgomery County, Md., Police Chief Charles Moose, who has been leading the investigation into the sniper attacks that have terrorized the Washington, D.C., area. "That remains our most appropriate lookout."

The victim, identified as 53-year-old Kenneth Bridges of Philadelphia, was shot at about 9:30 a.m. at an Exxon station near an entrance to Interstate 95 just south of Fredericksburg, police said.

Police have not officially linked this morning's shooting to the other shootings, though Moose said, "The shooting certainly looks similar." Some ballistics evidence had been recovered and was being examined at a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms forensics lab in Rockville, Md. FBI officials said they would announce Saturday morning when the results of the ballistics test — which would reveal whether today's shooting is linked to the other sniper attacks — would be available.

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Parallels to Previous Shootings

The possible sighting of a white minivan and the fact that the shooting occurred at a gas station during the morning rush hour drew parallels to the sniper shootings. All of the previous sniper victims were shot just once; three were attacked at gas stations; and a white minivan or a white box truck was seen leaving the scene in several of those incidents.

Moose said the police search for a white Astro minivan did not mean they were now excluding the white box truck. The Astro may be just an expanded description of the box truck, he said.

Maj. Howard Smith of the Spotsylvania County, Va., Sheriff's Department said investigators had a description of the two people inside the vehicle seen leaving the scene of this morning's shooting, but he declined to provide any details.

A Virginia State Police trooper was investigating a traffic accident across the street from the gas station when the shooting occurred. He was one of several witnesses who saw the van.

"There was a shooting across the street, and one of the employees seen the van," Raja Abilmona, who works at a gas station across the street from the Exxon station, told ABCNEWS. "It was a white Astro van, and when he hears the shot, he looked and he saw the van took off and hit Interstate 95."

However, Smith said that it was not clear whether the white vehicle was connected to the shooting. What was clear, he said, was the character of the sniper.

"With a uniformed trooper right across the street, obviously we're dealing with an individual who's extremely violent and just doesn't care," Smith said.

Authorities quickly closed Interstate 95 and Route 1, the two main highways near the gas station, and began stopping white vans there and on other roads in the area, but Smith said no suspects were apprehended. Three hours after the shooting, police scaled back their roadblocks, taking up positions to monitor traffic at on- and off-ramps but letting traffic move more freely.

Police were able to respond quickly because they already had a strong presence in the area as part of the ongoing investigation of the series of sniper shootings.

Geographic profilers and members of the task force investigating the sniper attacks collected shell casings, possible bullet fragments and other potential pieces of evidence to be examined. Smith refused to comment on the evidence.

All schools in the area were under lockdown after the shooting. Later today, there were reports of gunfire near a school in Bowie, Md., but police did not find any evidence of a shooting.

‘A Graphic Aid’

Earlier today, authorities said they planned to release a "graphic aid" this afternoon. However, Moose said at a late-afternoon news conference that FBI investigators have not yet completed the graphic, which he hopes will soon be finished and ready for public distribution.

Asked about whether he was frustrated over the inability to catch the sniper so far, Moose stressed that he remained hopeful they would be able to apprehend a suspect or suspects.

"Frustration is your word," Moose said. "We are not frustrated. We remain very hopeful that we will bring the person or people responsible for this into custody. I would say that the person or people responsible should please rethink what they are doing and please turn themselves in."

Since Oct. 2, nine people have fallen victim to sniper bullets in Maryland, Virginia and the nation's capital. Seven of them have been killed and two were wounded.

Dean Harold Meyers, 53, of Gaithersburg, Md., became the latest victim when he was fatally shot at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, just after he finished pumping and paying for gas at a Sunoco gas station in Manassas, Va. Ballistics evidence Thursday matched Meyers' killing to the other attacks.

Moose and other law enforcement personnel have provided very little detail or speculation about who might be carrying out the attacks, and the Montgomery County chief reacted angrily this week after information that a tarot card was found near the scene of one shooting was leaked to the media.

Police continue to look for possible clues in the tarot card, which was left near the scene of sniper's eighth victim, a 13-year-old boy, was shot Monday outside his school in Bowie, Md. A message scrawled on the card read: "Dear policeman, I am God."

Investigators are also examining surveillance-camera footage from various locations around the gas station in the ninth shooting. Last weekend, Moose said that a psychological profile of the shooter was going to be released on Monday, but it was never made public. Federal agents have also been working on a geographic profile of the crimes.

Thousands of Tips

So far, authorities say they have received more than 1,700 credible leads since the shootings began. The reward for any information leading to the arrest and indictment of the individual or individuals responsible for the shootings is now more than $350,000.

Contributions to the reward can be sent to Montgomery County Reward Fund, Office of the County Executive, 101 Monroe St., Rockville, Md., 28050. Contributions also can be made by telephoning (240) 777-8970.

People who want to report information on the case should call a tip line set up by police: 1-888-324-9800.

ABCNEWS' John Miller in Maryland and Barry Serafin in Washington contributed to this report.