'Sniper response plan' goes into action
From Michael McManus
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Authorities have instituted a new "sniper response plan" in reaction to an area shooting that turned out to be unrelated to the recent string of sniper attacks in the Washington area.
The plan was put into action Saturday night after Prince George's County, Maryland, police came upon a dead female with what officials called "severe trauma to the upper body," said police Lt. Everett Sesker.
Following a preliminary investigation of the scene, police notified various authorities who went into action.
Hours later, county authorities confirmed the shooting in Oxon Hill, Maryland, was not connected to the spate of sniper shootings that have killed eight people and wounded two others in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Each victim was hit with a single .223-caliber bullet, shot from a distance.
Sesker said the purpose of the response plan is "an immediate communication, which brings together a response from federal, state and local police officials."
He declined to go into details, but the closing of roads and interstates, vehicle searches and a large federal agency presence were noticeable near the crime scene.
All counties and cities in metro Washington will share the plan, which officials said they hope will cast a quick dragnet over a specific area near a sniper attack.
In addition, Authorities Saturday released a composite photograph of a white, box-type truck they are trying to find in connection with the shootings.
