[OT] Sniper plays D&D?

[Darkness]

How on earth do you kill someone with Magic cards?

A second after hitting "submit reply," it occured me that somebody would say that now.
Alas, you did it so fast that I didn't have a chance to edit my post...

Anyway... Sorry about the confusion: They lured the boy with Magic cards, and then killed him with something else.

 

[Glaurung]

Speaking as someone who lives in Montgomery County, MD and works on Capitol Hill, this whole thing has been very worrying. But it doesn't seem like a terrorist act to me. I'm no expert, but terrorists usually want people to know they did it (i.e. "A car bomb exploded today in downtown Dublin, the IRA s claiming responsibility for the attack."). This person is enjoying the feeling of power, but isn't claiming responsibility or even saying why he's doing it.

Just seems to me to be atypical of what we usually call terrorists. YMMV

You don't really know that-he may have been leaving tarot cards all the while. Or maybe he assumes the police will be able to piece all the shootings together becuase he always uses the same gun. Police generally keep secret certain facts about the murder to differentiate future attacks from copycats--that may be why the inspector was upset when the tarot card was divulged.
I live in Montgomery County, MD also--in fact I think one murder already happened in my city (Silver Spring), which has me more than a little worried. I've been trying to stay indoors when possible. I wonder, has anyone been shot on or near the subway (metro) yet?

 

[chatdemon]

How on earth do you kill someone with Magic cards?

Force them to play the game, it's been proven to sap the will to live in 4 out of 5 lab rats.

 

[Arkham]

Force them to play the game, it's been proven to sap the will to live in 4 out of 5 lab rats.

Is that with or without the buyback?

 

[Celebrim]

I think that the lone wolf profile of this guy is all wrong.

We aren't dealing with a Zodiac or a Berkowitz. This is not an archetypal serial killer living out some bizarrely twisted sexual fantasy or coping with delusions that are the result of a highly abused childhood.

We are dealing with another Kebold and Harris. We are dealing with another set of 'Beautiful Creatures'. I think we will find out there are two of them.

This is wholesale freeform hatred. Serial killers of the classic mold are never so structureless.

These are social killings, and they are living out some sort of gung-ho fantasy. I originally thought we were dealing with an ex-military type, but the site selection and ranges chosen indicate more someone who has read about being a sniper than someone trained to do it. The are operating as a team, just like military snipers. Either they have roles or they are taking turns, but in either case the one doing the shooting is putting on a show for his partner - if they are both male prehaps one is a repressed homosexual (as long as we are throwing out sterotypes).

 

[hong]

Force them to play the game, it's been proven to sap the will to live in 4 out of 5 lab rats.

Ah, reminds me of the following:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/10/1034061260831.html

Man dies after playing computer games non-stop
October 10 2002


A 24-year-old South Korean man died after playing computer games nonstop for 86 hours, police said yesterday.

The jobless man, identified by police only by his last name Kim, was found dead at an Internet cafe in Kwangju, 260 kilometres southwest of Seoul, they said.

Quoting witnesses, police detective Oh Myong-sik in Kwangju said the man had been virtually glued to the computer since late last Friday and had no decent sleep and meals.

The man collapsed in front of the counter early yesterday but soon regained consciousness. He then went to the toilet where he later was found dead, the police officer said.

Initial investigation ruled out the possibility of murder, police said. An autopsy was planned.

South Korea is among the world's most Internet-savvy nations with more than half of its 47 million people having access to the Internet. South Korea has some 22,000 Internet cafes, also known as PC rooms.

Many PC rooms are open 24 hours, but no minors are allowed after 10 pm.

AP

 

[kengar]

You don't really know that-he may have been leaving tarot cards all the while...

I live in Montgomery County, MD also--in fact I think one murder already happened in my city (Silver Spring), which has me more than a little worried. I've been trying to stay indoors when possible. I wonder, has anyone been shot on or near the subway (metro) yet?

It's true, he might have been leaving clues, but my point was that "terrorists" usually annouce it by contacting the media directly as well as law enforcement agencies. They want publicity and recognition. Of course, terrorists are usually part of an organization or group. Like I say, I'm no expert.

I live in Silver Spring, too. AFAIK there has been no shooting at or by a Metro station, but I think one of the Rockville Pike shootings was not too far away from the White Flint stop.

 

[wighair]

Interesting how it seems to have been assumed it is a man.

It PROBABLY is mind you, but strange none the less.

 

[Celebrim]

wighair: Female serial killers are extremely rare. Female killers who are gun lovers are extremely rare. Ego driven female killers are extremely rare. Female 'snipers' are extremely rare.

If the shooter is a woman, it will be almost without precedent. And I'm being conservative by using 'almost'.

 

[CTD]

Relevant linkage:

http://www.arcadiandelsol.com/

Lead article at that website is commentary on the "blame D&D" kneejerk that the media will sometimes toss out to add something to a story. Worth the read.