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Partial plate checked in sniper casePolice say they can't develop a sketch of suspect
FALLS CHURCH, Virginia (CNN) -- The sniper task force is running the partial license plate information from witnesses who saw the Chevrolet Astro van through computers at the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles, a highly placed source very close to the investigation told CNN Wednesday. In the two weeks since the Washington-area sniper began his shooting spree, he has succeeded in eluding both description and capture in one of the largest manhunts in history. (What is known about the sniper) Hundreds of local, state, and federal agents are working the case, and the Pentagon has authorized the use of Army surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft in the hunt for the killer, who has left nine people dead and two wounded since October 2. An undetermined number of people are under surveillance as officials try to track possible leads in the sniper investigation, law enforcement sources told CNN Wednesday. The sources stressed the individuals are not suspects, and that as leads come in, investigators do what they need to do to check them. (Tips for tipsters) Witnesses at the site of the latest attack at the Falls Church mall parking lot Monday said the light-colored van had a Maryland license plate, according to the source. But it's not clear if they were able to give investigators letters or numbers on the plate. "We received license plate information from several witnesses -- different information on different tags," Fairfax County Police Chief Tom Manger told reporters earlier. "We're following up on all that information. We are not ready to release any tag information about a suspect vehicle." Depending on how much information the witnesses are able to provide, the computer search for the van's license plate could take some time. Members of the task force hunting down the culprit say more and better witness descriptions have come with each incident, but they admit their information is still sketchy and lacking crucial details. One witness reported seeing a man with olive- or darker-colored skin in a white van. And yet another witness saw two men in a van. "We do have an individual who is causing terror in the hearts of the public, but is his motivation political? Religious? Does he have a message that he's sending that we're not getting yet? We don't know," said Capt. Nancy Demme of the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department, which is leading the multijurisdictional investigation. "The common denominator thus far is 'male,'" she said. Another witness to Monday's deadly shooting told authorities he saw a man shouldering a weapon, and it is believed the fatal shot was fired from 30 yards away, sources said Wednesday. The sniper's previous victims were all shot from a distance of several hundred yards, authorities have said. Despite those witness accounts, police said Wednesday they were unable to develop a composite sketch of a suspect. "There are a couple of people who believe they saw a man shoot. Unfortunately, distance and darkness and, perhaps, adrenaline, have made them unable to give us a clear composite that we can disseminate," said Demme.
FBI employee Linda Franklin's shooting triggered a tidal wave of more than 15,000 phone calls to the sniper hotline operated by the FBI's Washington field office. "That's the most calls we've received on any single day," said FBI spokesman Chris Murray. The flow of calls had slowed significantly Wednesday, officials said. (Full story) Franklin, 47, an FBI intelligence analyst from Arlington, Virginia, was slain outside a Home Depot in nearby Falls Church. (About Franklin's life) An official said Wednesday that investigators are looking at surveillance tapes from the Home Depot, outside security cameras at two nearby buildings, and tapes from police cruiser cameras. They are also reviewing Virginia Department of Transportation camera material. In other developments, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Tuesday night approved an FBI request for use of military aircraft equipped with high-tech surveillance equipment in the search for the sniper. (Military role) The aircraft to be used are the RC-7 and the U-21. (Aircraft profiles) The FBI asked satellite operators to turn over available images of the places where the shootings occurred. Investigators will use weather and intelligence pictures to look for a possible common denominator among the sites. Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan praised the move by Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening to temporarily ban outdoor recreational gunfire, including hunting, in metropolitan Washington counties until the sniper incidents are over. "We don't want to have officers chasing false alarms of shots fired in our counties," Duncan said. The order, which came at the request of county officials, affects Montgomery, Prince George's, Anne Arundel and Howard counties. Ellen Qualls, spokeswoman for Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, said if there are similar requests from local officials in that state, the governor will consider them. The police agency coordinating the manhunt released new composite graphics Tuesday of vehicles seen at the scene of Friday's fatal shooting at a gas station near Fredericksburg, Virginia -- a Ford Econoline van and white Chevrolet Astro, both with roof ladder racks. (Suspect vehicles) The shooting made Fairfax County the sixth locale in and around Washington, D.C. in which the sniper has struck. Other shootings took place in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, in Spotsylvania and Prince William counties in Virginia, and in Washington. (Living in fear)
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