Caller Claims to Be Ohio Highway Sniper

Friday, January 30, 2004

(7:40 PM ET)

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Associated Press Writer

The police dispatcher appeared not to take the caller seriously, according to the 911 tapes, saying ``whatever'' a couple of times and ``Yea. Yea. Yea.'' At another point she said, ``You just want attention, don't you.'' She also asked the caller to stay on the line while the call was traced. The call ended soon after.

A group of reporters gather around a tape player, Friday Jan. 30, 2004 at Columbus, Ohio police headquarters, listening to a 911 tape where a man called police four times saying he was the highway shootings sniper. The caller identified himself as the highway shooter at least three times in the calls Monday. He said he fired at a car that day but did not claim responsibility for any of the Interstate 270 shootings police have connected to the case, including the death of a passenger in November.

Image Credit: Jay LaPrete -- AP

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- AP
In the first claim of responsibility, a man called police four times to say he was the highway shootings sniper, police said Friday. At least two of the calls disconnected.

The caller described himself as the shooter several times during the calls that arrived in a two-minute span on Monday, police said.

The man said he fired at a car that day but did not claim responsibility for any of the 20 shootings since May that police have connected to the case, including the death of an auto passenger in November.

A task force investigating the shootings at cars, school buses and homes along or near Interstate 270 is trying to determine whether the caller is the gunman, Franklin County sheriff's Chief Deputy Steve Martin said.

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2003 © The Associated Press.

Dan