Authorities link shooting at Coast Guard center to 4 others

Authorities link shooting at Coast Guard center to 4 others

By Maria Glod and Josh White
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Cleaners at the Marine Corps museum near Quantico noticed spots on windows they thought were bird droppings one recent Sunday. They turned out to be bullet holes.

Since that discovery, the same weapon has been used four more times to fire at U.S. military facilities in Northern Virginia.

The gunman has taken aim only at night or early in the morning, when the buildings would be vacant or sparsely populated, and authorities said they don't think he or she is out to hurt anyone. The shooter might be trying to send a message, officials said, but they don't know what the message is. As they search for the person, the questions remain: Who and why?

"Sometimes it is just for the thrill," said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University in Boston. "Sometimes it's for the sake of power and control. Or maybe he just wants to wreak havoc on the military."

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Authorities link shooting at Coast Guard center to 4 others