From the sketchy information published to date, it sounds like the longest distance in these shootings is a couple hundred yards. In the Army, we trained with the M-16 at 300 meters (about 330 yards) using ordinary sights. A hunting rifle with a scope would make a 200 yard shot easy. It wouldn't be hard at all to learn how to shoot a human at that distance.

The fact that the killer's first shot last week attempted to hit someone on the other side of a plate glass window says something, too. The .223 (5.56mm) round has lousy penetrating power. A trained shooter would know that. Another thing, the child who was shot this week was hit fairly low in the abdomen. Trained shooters aim for the center of mass (middle of the chest). A 5.56mm round doesn't drop very far in 150-200 yards, so this sick bastard may not be a very good shot at all. A trained shooter knows how to compensate for the bullet drop and will "zero" his weapon for the expected distance he intends to shoot (typically 100-200 yards).