Two people have called 9-1-1 in the Columbus, OH, area claiming to be the shooter who has targeted 20 vehicles, buildings and people in the area around Interstate 270, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
The first call was made Jan. 26 to the Columbus Police Department. The second was made at 2:23 a.m. Jan. 31 to the Sheriff’s Department.
Police have released both tapes to the media in an attempt to see if a member of the public recognizes the voice.
The second caller, in addition to claiming to be the shooter, also issued a warning: “It’s gonna get worse. I am intent to start shooting at the police now.”
The Sheriff’s Department has issued a warning to law-enforcement officers throughout the state.
Police are investigating the calls, but issued a warning of their own: If the calls are false leads, and if they apprehend the person who made them, they intend to prosecute the caller. If convicted, that person could face a year in jail.
The calls are the latest development recently in the case. Several occurred at the site of the 20th shooting, which occurred south of the area on I-71.
Michael Thomas, whose car was hit in the shooting, said police told him they found a fingerprint and two shell casings in the Lambert Road Overpass, the newspaper said. Thomas also provided valuable information, saying he saw a car on the overpass where the shot was fired from, and a person standing next to the car.
Thomas' car was shot at 12:45 a.m. Jan. 22 in an area south of Columbus near the town of Harrisburg, roughly 7 miles south of where most of the shootings have taken place and near the Franklin-Pickaway county line.
Since May 2003, 20 shootings have now taken place in and around Columbus, OH, most near the southwestern part of I-270.
Only one bullet hit a human target. It struck and killed area resident Gail Knisley Nov. 25, just before the Thanksgiving holiday. Knisley was riding in the car of a friend who was taking her to see a doctor.
At least five commercial motor vehicles have been hit by bullets, according to police and press reports, including a Yellow Freight truck, a UPS delivery truck, a Coca-Cola truck, an 18-wheeler out of Texas and the Virginia-based rig.
The reward being offered for information that leads to an arrest in the case has since risen to $60,000. So far, more than 3,600 tips have been called.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department has put out public alerts asking the shooter or shooters to contact them and start a dialog. In addition to the hotline set up for tips - (614) 462-4646 – the Sheriff’s Department has also set up a post office box for the shooter to use to contact authorities. It is PO Box 360562, Columbus, OH, 43236-0562.
--by Mark H. Reddig, associate editor
Mark Reddig can be reached at mark_reddig@landlinemag.com.
