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Senior Emily Fuller watches updates about the sniper attacks on CNBC. Fuller's family lives only a few miles from the sites of the shooting |
Photo by Jason Harville |
Q:
How close is where you live in relation to where the shootings have taken
place?
A:
All the shootings have been within
just a few miles of my house. The nearest shooting was less than a
mile away, at a Shoppers Food Warehouse. The first five shootings were
all along or near to Georgia Avenue, which is the main north-south road
through my immediate area. One of the shootings was at a Michael's Arts and
Crafts store that I used to work at.
Q:
What have you heard about the sniper and what preventative measures are being
taken in your area?
A:
The sniper is evidently a good
marksman, possibly a hunter or with military or law enforcement experience. Many
of the shootings took place during rush hour, or in densely populated public
areas like strip malls and gas stations. The sniper could have taken
shots from up to 1800 yards, as authorities have told us. The only lead
is a white delivery van that was seen by one witness at one crime scene. Schools
have been under lock-down procedures, meaning that open lunch has been
cancelled, and that outdoor activities are restricted or cancelled. Since
the victims are completely unrelated, there are no real precautionary measures
that residents of the area can take.
Q:
Did you go home for break?
A:
Yes, I did go home for break. I
had planned on visiting New Orleans, but the hurricane changed those plans. The
first of the shootings occurred Wednesday night, before I had arrived home.
Q:
Have any of your family's plans or day-to-day schedules been affected by this?
A:
No, day-to-day plans are unchanged, except that my mom has been a little
apprehensive about going to the Shoppers, which is the closest grocery store
to us. In terms of imminent danger, it seems that the killings have moved
(to Washington, D.C.) and to northern Virginia. There are still police
lines at a couple of the crime scenes, and there is a greater law enforcement
presence in the area. All available officers, as well as the FBI are on the
case.
Q:
How do you feel about your family staying in the area?
A: The thought that there is a
killer or killers still at large in the area makes me nervous, but as far as
danger to my family, I am not that worried. By exercising common sense
and not appearing to be a prime target, I feel that they will be alright.
Thursday night, my sister went to her Tae Kwon Do practice in our convertible
with the top down, and stayed after a while at the end, making her late in coming
home. My parents asked her not to do either of those things in
the future, at least until the case is closed.
Q:
Do you know anyone who was in the
area of any of the shootings, and if so, how close were they?
A:
My brother was in the same strip
mall as the Shoppers at the time of that shooting, and saw the police cars
rolling in. As the station is right across the street, they were at the scene
almost immediately. He had gone to CVS to pick up snacks for a Bible study he
was going to that night- if he had gone to the grocery store instead, he would
literally have been at the scene of the crime.
Q:
Is there anything else you would like to add?
A:
The scary thing about the shootings
is that the victims are totally unrelated. Whoever is behind this killing
spree is very sick- someone who is killing for fun. That fact has made a
lot of people anxious, since anyone in a public place is potentially a target. Another
theory as to the killer(s) is that they could be terrorists or some other
group, seeking to wring havoc in the area. If the killing continues,
people will begin to be afraid to leave their homes. As it stands now,
residents are exercising caution, and praying for the families of the victims.