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Shooting in Montgomery County, Maryland

Aired October 22, 2002 - 06:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Also, we're going to dip in really quickly, Patty, and listen to what the coverage of WTTG right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police are moving back and forth alone Connecticut and along Grand Prix Road, as well, through this stretch. There are several police helicopters and, again, it looks like a large dragnet, although some of the cars are being allowed through. We can see police in all directions. Traffic backing up severely, of course, along Connecticut, as people make their way to the roadblocks and some of them are rolling along the side roads.

Again, at this time, there's a report of a shooting, came in at 5:56 this morning. No details yet at this time, but we are flying now over the scene here on Connecticut and Grand Prix Road and we'll continue to bring you the very latest from the scene -- Michael.

CALLAWAY: Well, you were listening to the chopper pilot there of WTTG, obviously hovering over the scene where the shooting has taken place at Grand Prix Road and Connecticut Avenue in Montgomery County, Maryland. Of course, police investigating this and trying to take care of the victim there.

Patty Davis joining us now from Maryland.

Patty, I want to try to give everybody an idea of exactly where this shooting took place. It's hard when you don't live in that region to know how close this proximity is to the other shootings. I believe we have a map, Patty, of the previous shootings. If you can sort of lead us here on where this area is where this shooting has taken place this morning.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, just the latest news we have now is a medivac helicopter on the way to pick this person up who's been shot, we are told in the chest, there in Montgomery County. Now, this is in Silver Spring. This is, if you go north of Washington, D.C., straight north, you can see Montgomery County there. You go up Connecticut Avenue and you hit Grand Prix. This is pretty much up where the other shootings, those first five shootings, took place in the Aspen Hills section of Silver Spring north of Washington, D.C. I'd probably say 12 to 15 miles north of Washington, D.C. -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: And, Patty, we're looking at the video that WTTG is feeding to us. Is this as close to I-95 as the other shootings? Is this what we're looking at? Actually, Mike Brooks is on the set with me now shaking his head. I'm trying to figure out what road we're looking at here, what interstate this is, not I-95. Obviously they've completely shut down traffic in this region as they investigate it.

You can't tell either, can you, Patty?

DAVIS: Right. I can't really tell from where that is.

CALLAWAY: Yes. Yes. What are, are authorities telling you anything there where you are about this shooting?

DAVIS: At this point, police are just saying that they are responding to the scene. As you can see, the flashing lights, they're there. You can see the traffic already backing up in Washington, D.C. This rush hour starts early. So roads being closed down. That's part of what police are doing now, a standard response to any shooting that they believe may be connected to this, shutting down, closing off those major arteries.

Connecticut Avenue, by the way, is a major artery coming out of Washington, D.C. heading into Silver Spring, Maryland. So obviously...

CALLAWAY: That may be what we're looking at, yes.

DAVIS: Right.

CALLAWAY: Mike Brooks, Patty, is with us.

Stay with us, Patty.

But Mike Brooks on the set with me now.

You were just in the newsroom actually talking with some of our national desk.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Right.

CALLAWAY: What are they saying they're hearing over there?

BROOKS: They're hearing that right now it's the initial stages. They're out investigating to see if there is an actual shooting. It looks like from the scene, just looking at the helicopters, what WTTG's chopper is showing, it's really hard to say. But, again, you see it's not too far from 270. It's a good ways out. Connecticut Avenue and Grand Prix Road is a little bit further out from the Wheaton/Glenmont/Aspen Hills area from where the shootings were, but not that far.

CALLAWAY: Right.

BROOKS: You know, early rush hour in Washington, D.C. It looks like they have traffic shut down right now.

CALLAWAY: And this is Connecticut Avenue?

BROOKS: That looks like Connecticut Avenue, yes.

CALLAWAY: We were trying to figure out if it was 95 or Connecticut Avenue. Boy, they've really shut down traffic there.

BROOKS: 95 is a good ways to the southeast, if you will, from this. Closer to this would be Route 495 and also I-270, I-70.

CALLAWAY: Tell us what officials are doing right now. We see this major artery here shut down. What are police going to do? They're not going to car to car but...

BROOKS: Well, right now it looks like it is shut down. And like they have done in the others, they have a response plan. It sounds like they're putting that response plan in action, shutting down the traffic right now until they get additional information, do a canvas of the area quickly, see if there's any witnesses, see if there's any communications at all like we've seen in some of the other shootings.

Again, speculation right now, we do not know if this is, indeed, a shooting similar to the others.

CALLAWAY: Yes, or connected to the sniper in any way.

BROOKS: Right.

CALLAWAY: But they have to respond as if it is.

BROOKS: Absolutely.

CALLAWAY: Especially since it's in that Montgomery County area.

Let me ask you this, Mike. Do you know, you know, you've worked with these officials, you've done this before. Will they actually go car to car?

BROOKS: They may. They've done it in other places. I was hearing from sources the other day in Ashland that they were going from car to car and they were asking people to write things down, almost like they were trying to get a hand...

CALLAWAY: But traffic's moving now, look.

BROOKS: ... almost trying to get a handwriting example or -- yes.

CALLAWAY: Well, that may be police. I can't tell.

BROOKS: It could also just, it could be a light. But it looks like it's heading either north or southbound on Connecticut Avenue right now. But...

CALLAWAY: But it wouldn't be unheard of, for them to do a complete road block here?

BROOKS: Not at all. And as you see, they still have traffic in the one direction still stopped. And, you know, again, it could be because of the emergency vehicles. We really don't know until we get a little bit further information. CALLAWAY: Well we know in at least one of the shootings they did stop traffic going northbound, but, you know, why not check it the other way, southbound?

BROOKS: Absolutely. I think if you're going to, if you have a plan, a response plan, you need to go ahead and institute that response plan because the person can make a U-turn. On Route 50, as we just saw the other day, the shooter supposedly was, supposedly going eastbound on Route 50. This is at the Home Depot shooting. Made a U-turn, headed back out westbound and onto 495.

CALLAWAY: Most of these shootings have taken place somewhere between seven in the morning and nine at night. It's early this morning.

BROOKS: It is early.

CALLAWAY: This is 5:56 a.m. this shooting has taken place.

BROOKS: Yes, so...

CALLAWAY: Again, we don't know if it is connected to the sniper but...

BROOKS: Right. Exactly.

CALLAWAY: What at all will this do if this is connected to the sniper? Will this change at all the way the police look at this if we're going to be seeing shootings now in the middle of the night?

BROOKS: Well, you know, this is early morning. To the shooter, it could be a new day. And depending on who the victim is, whether it is in close proximity to any particular establishments, I think it, you know, it'll all be looked into in the early stages. Again, the early preliminary stages right now, it's hard to tell.

CALLAWAY: Let's recap quickly for everyone who's just joining us. There has been a shooting this morning in Montgomery County, Maryland at Belpry Road (ph) and Connecticut Avenue?

BROOKS: Grand Prix Road.

CALLAWAY: Is it Grand Prix Road or Belpry? I've just received word that it was Belpry.

BROOKS: Yes, Grand Prix Road and Belpry all come together right out in that vicinity.

CALLAWAY: Patty Davis has some more information.

Good morning, Patty, again.

DAVIS: Right.

Actually, we're told that it is Belpry Road and Connecticut Avenue. CALLAWAY: It is Belpry.

DAVIS: We originally said Grand Prix Road. It's Belpry.

We're also told that this task force, this sniper task force is responding to this shooting out of routine. As I said, they do respond in cases where they believe that the sniper may have attacked. Also, we're told that this medivac helicopter is on the way to the scene of this shooting.

I can just tell you a little bit more about the area, too. It is just up the road from that Mobil station, I believe, where one of those shootings took place about three weeks ago. There is a Home Depot right near that corner if you're going north on the left. There's a Home Depot there. There's a K Mart on the other side, gas stations there right in the area. So just to give you an idea what that area looks like.

Connecticut Avenue, that major artery heading north, that's getting into a residential area once you pass that Home Depot.

CALLAWAY: So this is a business area, then?

DAVIS: That's right. It's a business area actually in between residential areas. You hit a residential area before you get to the Home Depot and then the K Mart on the other side of the street. Then you hit another residential area as you go north. And then even north of that you'd be hitting that Leisure World where Sarah Ramos was shot and killed.

CALLAWAY: And just once again, are we hearing anything aisle about the victim? We know it was a male and we know that there was a chest wound. But still, no details on the shooting itself, how it took place or where?

DAVIS: No details at this point. We do believe that it is a man at this point, but we don't know what this person was doing, where they were exactly. Were they in a car? Were they in a bus? We just don't know at this point.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 22, 2002 - 06:21   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Also, we're going to dip in really quickly, Patty, and listen to what the coverage of WTTG right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police are moving back and forth alone Connecticut and along Grand Prix Road, as well, through this stretch. There are several police helicopters and, again, it looks like a large dragnet, although some of the cars are being allowed through. We can see police in all directions. Traffic backing up severely, of course, along Connecticut, as people make their way to the roadblocks and some of them are rolling along the side roads.

Again, at this time, there's a report of a shooting, came in at 5:56 this morning. No details yet at this time, but we are flying now over the scene here on Connecticut and Grand Prix Road and we'll continue to bring you the very latest from the scene -- Michael.

CALLAWAY: Well, you were listening to the chopper pilot there of WTTG, obviously hovering over the scene where the shooting has taken place at Grand Prix Road and Connecticut Avenue in Montgomery County, Maryland. Of course, police investigating this and trying to take care of the victim there.

Patty Davis joining us now from Maryland.

Patty, I want to try to give everybody an idea of exactly where this shooting took place. It's hard when you don't live in that region to know how close this proximity is to the other shootings. I believe we have a map, Patty, of the previous shootings. If you can sort of lead us here on where this area is where this shooting has taken place this morning.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, just the latest news we have now is a medivac helicopter on the way to pick this person up who's been shot, we are told in the chest, there in Montgomery County. Now, this is in Silver Spring. This is, if you go north of Washington, D.C., straight north, you can see Montgomery County there. You go up Connecticut Avenue and you hit Grand Prix. This is pretty much up where the other shootings, those first five shootings, took place in the Aspen Hills section of Silver Spring north of Washington, D.C. I'd probably say 12 to 15 miles north of Washington, D.C. -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: And, Patty, we're looking at the video that WTTG is feeding to us. Is this as close to I-95 as the other shootings? Is this what we're looking at? Actually, Mike Brooks is on the set with me now shaking his head. I'm trying to figure out what road we're looking at here, what interstate this is, not I-95. Obviously they've completely shut down traffic in this region as they investigate it.

You can't tell either, can you, Patty?

DAVIS: Right. I can't really tell from where that is.

CALLAWAY: Yes. Yes. What are, are authorities telling you anything there where you are about this shooting?

DAVIS: At this point, police are just saying that they are responding to the scene. As you can see, the flashing lights, they're there. You can see the traffic already backing up in Washington, D.C. This rush hour starts early. So roads being closed down. That's part of what police are doing now, a standard response to any shooting that they believe may be connected to this, shutting down, closing off those major arteries.

Connecticut Avenue, by the way, is a major artery coming out of Washington, D.C. heading into Silver Spring, Maryland. So obviously...

CALLAWAY: That may be what we're looking at, yes.

DAVIS: Right.

CALLAWAY: Mike Brooks, Patty, is with us.

Stay with us, Patty.

But Mike Brooks on the set with me now.

You were just in the newsroom actually talking with some of our national desk.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Right.

CALLAWAY: What are they saying they're hearing over there?

BROOKS: They're hearing that right now it's the initial stages. They're out investigating to see if there is an actual shooting. It looks like from the scene, just looking at the helicopters, what WTTG's chopper is showing, it's really hard to say. But, again, you see it's not too far from 270. It's a good ways out. Connecticut Avenue and Grand Prix Road is a little bit further out from the Wheaton/Glenmont/Aspen Hills area from where the shootings were, but not that far.

CALLAWAY: Right.

BROOKS: You know, early rush hour in Washington, D.C. It looks like they have traffic shut down right now.

CALLAWAY: And this is Connecticut Avenue?

BROOKS: That looks like Connecticut Avenue, yes.

CALLAWAY: We were trying to figure out if it was 95 or Connecticut Avenue. Boy, they've really shut down traffic there.

BROOKS: 95 is a good ways to the southeast, if you will, from this. Closer to this would be Route 495 and also I-270, I-70.

CALLAWAY: Tell us what officials are doing right now. We see this major artery here shut down. What are police going to do? They're not going to car to car but...

BROOKS: Well, right now it looks like it is shut down. And like they have done in the others, they have a response plan. It sounds like they're putting that response plan in action, shutting down the traffic right now until they get additional information, do a canvas of the area quickly, see if there's any witnesses, see if there's any communications at all like we've seen in some of the other shootings.

Again, speculation right now, we do not know if this is, indeed, a shooting similar to the others.

CALLAWAY: Yes, or connected to the sniper in any way.

BROOKS: Right.

CALLAWAY: But they have to respond as if it is.

BROOKS: Absolutely.

CALLAWAY: Especially since it's in that Montgomery County area.

Let me ask you this, Mike. Do you know, you know, you've worked with these officials, you've done this before. Will they actually go car to car?

BROOKS: They may. They've done it in other places. I was hearing from sources the other day in Ashland that they were going from car to car and they were asking people to write things down, almost like they were trying to get a hand...

CALLAWAY: But traffic's moving now, look.

BROOKS: ... almost trying to get a handwriting example or -- yes.

CALLAWAY: Well, that may be police. I can't tell.

BROOKS: It could also just, it could be a light. But it looks like it's heading either north or southbound on Connecticut Avenue right now. But...

CALLAWAY: But it wouldn't be unheard of, for them to do a complete road block here?

BROOKS: Not at all. And as you see, they still have traffic in the one direction still stopped. And, you know, again, it could be because of the emergency vehicles. We really don't know until we get a little bit further information. CALLAWAY: Well we know in at least one of the shootings they did stop traffic going northbound, but, you know, why not check it the other way, southbound?

BROOKS: Absolutely. I think if you're going to, if you have a plan, a response plan, you need to go ahead and institute that response plan because the person can make a U-turn. On Route 50, as we just saw the other day, the shooter supposedly was, supposedly going eastbound on Route 50. This is at the Home Depot shooting. Made a U-turn, headed back out westbound and onto 495.

CALLAWAY: Most of these shootings have taken place somewhere between seven in the morning and nine at night. It's early this morning.

BROOKS: It is early.

CALLAWAY: This is 5:56 a.m. this shooting has taken place.

BROOKS: Yes, so...

CALLAWAY: Again, we don't know if it is connected to the sniper but...

BROOKS: Right. Exactly.

CALLAWAY: What at all will this do if this is connected to the sniper? Will this change at all the way the police look at this if we're going to be seeing shootings now in the middle of the night?

BROOKS: Well, you know, this is early morning. To the shooter, it could be a new day. And depending on who the victim is, whether it is in close proximity to any particular establishments, I think it, you know, it'll all be looked into in the early stages. Again, the early preliminary stages right now, it's hard to tell.

CALLAWAY: Let's recap quickly for everyone who's just joining us. There has been a shooting this morning in Montgomery County, Maryland at Belpry Road (ph) and Connecticut Avenue?

BROOKS: Grand Prix Road.

CALLAWAY: Is it Grand Prix Road or Belpry? I've just received word that it was Belpry.

BROOKS: Yes, Grand Prix Road and Belpry all come together right out in that vicinity.

CALLAWAY: Patty Davis has some more information.

Good morning, Patty, again.

DAVIS: Right.

Actually, we're told that it is Belpry Road and Connecticut Avenue. CALLAWAY: It is Belpry.

DAVIS: We originally said Grand Prix Road. It's Belpry.

We're also told that this task force, this sniper task force is responding to this shooting out of routine. As I said, they do respond in cases where they believe that the sniper may have attacked. Also, we're told that this medivac helicopter is on the way to the scene of this shooting.

I can just tell you a little bit more about the area, too. It is just up the road from that Mobil station, I believe, where one of those shootings took place about three weeks ago. There is a Home Depot right near that corner if you're going north on the left. There's a Home Depot there. There's a K Mart on the other side, gas stations there right in the area. So just to give you an idea what that area looks like.

Connecticut Avenue, that major artery heading north, that's getting into a residential area once you pass that Home Depot.

CALLAWAY: So this is a business area, then?

DAVIS: That's right. It's a business area actually in between residential areas. You hit a residential area before you get to the Home Depot and then the K Mart on the other side of the street. Then you hit another residential area as you go north. And then even north of that you'd be hitting that Leisure World where Sarah Ramos was shot and killed.

CALLAWAY: And just once again, are we hearing anything aisle about the victim? We know it was a male and we know that there was a chest wound. But still, no details on the shooting itself, how it took place or where?

DAVIS: No details at this point. We do believe that it is a man at this point, but we don't know what this person was doing, where they were exactly. Were they in a car? Were they in a bus? We just don't know at this point.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com