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Bush directs federal agencies to help in shootings case
From Kelly Wallace (CNN Washington Bureau)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has talked with Attorney General John Ashcroft about the sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area and has directed federal resources to help local officials, a White House spokesman said. "This is a very important issue of great concern," Ari Fleischer, White House press secretary, told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Knoxville, Tennessee. "This is traumatic for the families and the communities that have been affected and it's scary." Investigators said Monday that the shooting of a 13-year-old middle school student in Bowie, Maryland, was linked to the sniper shootings that killed six people and wounded another in the Washington area last week. (Full story) Fleischer, saying this is a "trying time," outlined the ways the president has made resources of the federal government available to local officials. The Bush spokesman said the president has directed the Department of Education to provide any assistance needed to help schools, principals and administrators counsel students in the area. Fleischer also said the FBI is assisting by helping with the profiling of the shooter or shooters, placing agents in command posts in Montgomery County, Maryland, and other sites and providing helicopter support. Fleischer said the FBI is also providing assistance with the "rapid start program," which is a computer program used to track, correlate and prioritize hundreds of leads. The FBI is also offering agents as requested to follow leads, and has offered other assistance from local field offices and labs as needed. In addition, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is providing ballistics help, Fleischer said. In a statement Monday evening, Bush called the shootings "cowardly and senseless acts of violence" and said he has committed federal resources to help with the investigation. "I have also directed the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to assist the students, teachers and families affected by the violence by providing counseling and other community health services," Bush said. "I applaud the state and local law enforcement officials who are working around the clock to help solve these heinous crimes and protect our citizens," the president said. "Laura and I send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families."
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