The DC Sniper Murders: When Terror Arrived in the Capital

Experience the gripping true story of the DC sniper attacks. Discover how random shootings terrorized the Washington D.C. area, claiming innocent lives and sparking widespread fear. Watch now for chilling details!
Simon's Social Media:
Twitter: / simonwhistler
Instagram: / simonwhistler
Love content? Check out Simon's other KZbin Channels:
Warographics: / @warographics643
MegaProjects: / @megaprojects9649
SideProjects: / @sideprojects
Today I Found Out: / todayifoundout
Highlight History: / @highlighthistory
Brain Blaze: / @brainblaze6526
Casual Criminalist: / thecasualcriminalist
Decoding the Unknown: / @decodingtheunknown2373
Places: / @places302
Astrographics: / @astrographics-ve4yq

[@cbdy1358]

This needs to be a casual criminalist episode. There’s so much to this story it’s crazy

[@courtneybermack]

I remember the relationship between the men being a real Thing but I don't remember the details.

[@WizzleJizzy]

Simon is too scared.

[@SuperKendoman]

He should, even Count Dankula has done a longer episode than this 😂

[@acehayato]

The youre wrong about podcast had a great series on the dc snipers

[@calebbean1384]

He's double dipped before. Jonestown managed to show up on both channels

[@michaelbatson1879]

The one you need to remember about this that heighten paranoia: this took place only months after the 9/11 attacks.

[@CaptainFSU]

And the anthrax

[@pantherdddjvdgx]

And Muhammad no less

[@topogigio7031]

Republicans revel in pain and chaos

[@Stichting_NoFap]

@@pantherdddjvdgx He was also a member of the nation of islam.

[@jprehberger]

I agree. I lived in northern Virginia at the time and the general consensus was that this was terrorist activity.

[@josephgraham1540]

People forget how crazy those few years were, especially the younger generations I don’t think realize it, I just started middle school when 9-11 happened, then we had the anthrax letters, DC sniper, the shoe and underwear bombers, it really felt like anything could happen at anytime

[@mattdad8429]

Columbine in '99, Oklahoma City bombings a couple years before that; the unabomber; Honestly, the late 90s to early-2000s was like a nightmare every other week. Mid-to-late 90s was when these ultra-bizarre catastrophe's really started hummin'. Things have been a mess ever since.

[@esteemedmortal5917]

Seemed like every year of high school started off with something awful 😢

[@esteemedmortal5917]

@@mattdad8429and people wonder why millennials cherish being a child at heart and enjoying silly things.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

​@@esteemedmortal5917 too true. That's got to have a lot to do with it. Childhood was a wild time and we (my friends and I) thought the world was absolutely ending, bad stuff happening faster than our little brains could keep up with.

[@topogigio7031]

Gen Z griping about how Meema said They instead of Fae meanwhile Millennials are continuously flashing back to bodies splattering on concrete.

[@billlauretti7963]

I was living in Wheaton, Maryland at the time, and 7 of the shootings took place within 5 miles of my house. It was a terrifying experience, leading us to pump gas by putting a tennis ball in the handle (if it couldn't be locked on) so you could sit in the car with your head ducked down while the pump was running. Everyone was doing a "serpentine" walk in every parking lot. I was stopped at a traffic light one time behind a white box truck, and it was surrounded by police who rolled up the back door with guns drawn--and there I was right in the line of fire if there was a shooter inside! The day of the last shooting (the bus driver) I woke up to the sound of a police helicopter hovering overhead, since it took place just down the road. This was a time of great anxiety in the DC area, barely one year after the 9/11 attacks, and months after the anthrax in the mail scare (which would make another good topic for a video).

[@terpman]

My father had a white box truck for his business and I was shocked it never got pulled over and searched. We were in Burtonsville at the time.

[@Zeta9966]

I lived in Manassas at the time. The pump Dean Meyers got shot at (pump 4) is the one I always used. Crazy that had different decisions been made that day, it could have been me…

[@tessat338]

Two guys that I worked with at the time had gone to high school with that bus driver, who was just pulled over and cleaning his bus, doing his job. So very sad!

[@amaltoadie]

I was in elementary school in the DC area when this was happening. It was like a fever dream. We weren't allowed to be outside alone, and we were instructed to walk in zigzags if we needed to go between buildings.

[@lukematney7062]

I was in elementary school nearby too. I was in Fredericksburg and my mom and I drove by the Michael's in Fredericksburg the day after the shooting and then again not long after the gas station shooting nearby. I remember the windows at school were all blacked out, the doors all locked, and we weren't allowed outside. I remember seeing a treeline outside the school and wondering if the snipers were out there watching us.

[@Pr0toPoTaT0]

Yeah I was in elementary school in southern Maryland but we were still forced to watch the news. Remember, this was a year after 911. I think the whole country was still affected. I still wonder why they forced us to watch the news whenever something bad was happening. 911. Dc sniper. Michael Jackson's death.

[@Mr.Durant]

Same, I'm 31 now

[@Mr.Durant]

From Baltimore

[@johnnyr2646]

Sterling Archer yelling"SERPENTINE!"

[@timothymcnerney3352]

This should be a casual criminalist episode, my father was a lead investigator on this case and the whole story is wild

[@sigurdurmarolafsson4183]

I can imagine his frustration and his feeling of helplessness while trying to get a break in the case.❤❤❤❤

[@joshuab3715]

Check out the podcast “Moster: DC sniper”

[@Kromsmitesyou]

My mom was the judge that sentenced malvo 🫡

[@timothymcnerney3352]

@@joshuab3715 yup, that’s my dad also on there 😂…mark of a killer on prime (final episode of season 3 I think?) does a great job covering it with the detectives and agents involved

[@GetRightGB]

​@@timothymcnerney3352 Would he do an interview with a writer? Liam runs his discord, and he writes for cas crim

[@jackturner214]

I remember I was in my first semester of grad school during the Beltway Sniper spree, and I have distinct memories of sitting at my desk in my apartment, working on a paper with the news on for background noise when they caught the perpetrators. I wasn't anywhere near DC, but it was still an captivating experience for everyone. Something I can still remember all this time later.

[@jonathanrivlin6248]

Thank you for telling this story. I was in College Park. MD at the time. It was terrifying. Walking zig zag, ducking for cover when pumping gas, the randomness, the speculation from the news, the awfulness of it, and coupled with the Sept 11th attacks, anthrax letters in the mail, the plane's tail wing sheering off on takeoff (out of NYC) and killing so many people - it was an awful time. In this life we can take nothing for granted and must be grateful for each day.

[@grimeto7323]

The money were just an excuse. The power the killers felt while stalking their victims and the fear they spread intoxicated them. Incurable psychopaths.

[@TheeGlocktopus]

The whole thing was calculated to take out Malvo's ex wife while keeping suspicions away from him. She was supposed to be one of the "Random" targets.

[@stephenhood2948]

I grew up in Southern MD, just south of DC. I remember them telling everyone to zigzag when walking in parking lots. What a crazy world we live in.

[@DaHighTechCave]

Bro I was in middle school and I remember them telling me that 😂

[@theywantusdead373]

World? This doesn't happen where I live

[@shifty1927]

Yup I was a freshman in SOMD at the time.

[@michellebaker6302]

I realized it was serious when a grown man where I am from (in Northern VA) literally zigzagged across the parking lot AND THEN he dove onto the ground next to his car. Reached up, unlocked it (back before remotes were universal) and climbed in from the ground. I was like, "If an actual adult felt that was necessary, we're screwed."

[@stephenhood2948]

@@michellebaker6302 Wow I never saw anyone react like that. I just had a creepy feeling anywhere I walked. Crazy

[@vaibanez17]

The next year after the DC Sniper, there was another sniper case of random shooting murders out of West Virginia. That one went unsolved for a while due to police ineptitude. A person literally told cops who it was, and cops ignored them. That person had to go on a cable access show called WV's Most Wanted to tell the information before embarrassed police followed up.

[@ValkyrieofNOLA]

Yikes.

[@Frosty_tha_Snowman]

What people are capable of is terrifying

[@topogigio7031]

I mean look at the American GOP. They aren't even hiding it anymore

[@michellebaker6302]

Don’t forget: we in Northern Virginia had 9/11, anthrax, AND this in like 13 months. We were not okay.

[@Xiporah]

I live less than 20 minutes from the first shooting. Life in the DC suburbs was scary that week.

[@djrukahs8926]

Felt longer than a week for sure...

[@Typical.Anomaly]

In 2004, I had to live in my car (1988 Pontiac 6000) for a few months. I took out the back seat, and put in a piece of plywood and carpet, so when I'd sleep, my legs extended into the trunk. I had an extra car battery (which I charged at my parents' house) that I used to run a small CRT TV and a SNES. Ngl, the mod to the car was inspired by the maniac spoken of in this video. I promise I'm not a sniper, though.

[@mattdad8429]

See? Good things can come from these situations! Bro was living his best life playing Super Mario World in a damn Pontiac. That's called freedom, baby.

[@khironkinney1667]

You took the innovation of what others have done and used it to better your life in the circumstances you had at the time. What you did in your limited ability enhanced your life, and it did not detract from any others. We all got to do what we got to do you did all right and I hope you're doing better

[@keithmoore5306]

the way things are going you might want to learn to be one!!!

[@jrmckim]

​@@keithmoore5306 skeletor: wat?

[@YeshuaStrongbow]

SNES…you are a Legend

[@TheDarkDogmaticDragonArisen]

Simon and the team putting out videos almost as fast as I can watch them, and I love you all for it - great work, folks! 💯

[@GoldenLegionHoney]

I lived in Manassas, VA at the time. The gas station it happened in was right down the street from my house. I remember after it re-opened NOONE got gas there. So I did. People were hiding in their cars while getting gas or in the stores. I figured they would be really stupid to come back here. So i got gas and stood next to my car. people thought i was crazy im sure.

[@ryanandre3623]

Why isn't this on the casual criminalist? This was way to short there's so much more to this story

[@cheapciggies]

Probably because it's free. The mainstream media have a lot more resources to hand and no doubt an extensive library of media dedicated to this case all online for you to watch

[@thomaswilson8022]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZSQZJaLeZqoldEsi=sx3Xoc_THTBpAb1B

[@markhalver3391]

@@cheapciggies Insanity...Were you on high end drugs when ya spammed this 50 or so times as an answer to anyone who wanted a longer script?

[@cheapciggies]

@@markhalver3391 no it was a quick scroll through and paste to the moaning whining folk. What do they want for nothing, a refund? 😂😂😂 Pull your socks up folks and quit whinging. I hope this is clearer for you now Mark. Cheers now.

[@topogigio7031]

​@@cheapciggiesyou can share the same ditch as Trump

[@TheCometCE]

Definitely one I'd love to see expanded on for a Casual Criminalist episode, on top of the murders themselves being so brazen, I remember this being so fresh off 9/11 that everyone was paranoid out of their mind already

[@ProductBae]

I was in high school when this happened in DC. It was a terrifying time and it really impacted all of our lives. Lockdowns bc of van sightings and more. It was a lot. Rip to those we lost.

[@kimberlyfelten6368]

Me too, I was in Rockville, up the street from one of the gas stations that was hit. I can't watch this yet, but I'm glad I read through the comments to see I'm not alone lol. I didn't realize I still it still had impact on me, but it was truly terrifying looking back.

[@ProductBae]

@@kimberlyfelten6368 yesssss same!!! I haven’t watched either. Thanks for sharing that. In time tho I will

[@markhalver3391]

I've been asking for this to be a Casual Criminalist for awhile. I'll take this, but you need a longer script, there is so much more here to tell

[@cheapciggies]

Probably because it's free. The mainstream media have a lot more resources to hand and no doubt an extensive library of media dedicated to this case all online for you to watch

[@markhalver3391]

@@cheapciggies Again, are you new to the internet? "The mainstream media has a lot more resources..." What does this even mean, are you suggesting I watch old news articles from early 2000 instead of suggesting a full script? And how do you figure that the mainstream media is not free, but this is. Honestly the strangest most pointless message I've seen and you've spammed it everywhere.

[@cheapciggies]

@@markhalver3391 Not you again, you are a pest. Is there some kind of disconnect with you being able to join ideas together in a coherent fashion. It's called thinking. Look here's the deal, Simon is not here to pander to your whims. What I've written which has somehow ripped your knitting means what is says...... Simon is not Lord of the DC Sniper case. Get over it, bunch of old women honestly. I will make a point of reading through the comments on this channel now and gauge the amount of soggy biscuits on it. Now go away again. That's twice I've told you now. Shoo

[@bradbrandon2506]

I've got to say this. I've loved how, right from when you first started doing reports on atrocities, that you don't flinch to honor the victims. Too many that do this put a lot of emphasis on the person that committed the act, murder p**n, if you will. Instead, you see it as a tragedy: an act that should never happen, and, with your voices, give the power back to the victims.

[@84marcow]

I remember the 3 hour drive into WV to do our grocery shopping because my parents were not going to risk going out in Fredericksburg.

[@JacobMcandles]

I remember this event WELL… you see at first the media was blaming an older white male and younger white male, in a white van…. Well my father and I are both white & just so happen to ride around in a white Ford van..😳 I still recall how we would pull up somewhere & folks get real quiet and on edge…

[@BuffaloSpiritGuide]

Don't mind all the Swastikas or NRA stickers on the van orthe fact we are the people that carry automatic rifles in public, the legal way of course. (Only kidding lol)

[@JacobMcandles]

@@BuffaloSpiritGuide actually we had no such decals, we aren’t car decal people

[@XimTraax]

@@JacobMcandlespretty sure that’s a bot we only carry semi automatic rifles anyway smh

[@ubiquitousliquorice]

This NEEDS to be a Casual Criminalist episode. There's so much about this story. If anyone wants to know the full detailed history, watch the 6-part miniseries "I, Sniper". Possible the best crime documentary I've ever seen.

[@brandonf.8360]

Although I'm from Baltimore, we definitely were checking for any suspicious white vans.

[@josephgraham1540]

Same I’m from WV but they could have just decided to drive a couple hours and hit another area

[@kacheek9101]

Crazy you put this out today. Just last week I was telling a couple of my younger coworkers about this. I was in DC at the time and the fear was incredible. Definitely one of the things that has stuck with me even after all the years

[@matthew.datcher]

I remember this well. I was applying for jobs in DC during the aftermath of the snipers. Thankfully, the snipers were caught before I started working in the region. My family thought I was crazy for taking a job here after all of that. But, back then I didn't live in the region. And, before I finally moved down here, I always filled up my gas tank on the home side of my commute. It's also interesting to hear Simon's accent on the place names I know so well.

[@CasualKillZz]

My mom was in the Michael’s parking lot 20 minutes before Caroline Seawell was shot. I still think about what my life would be like without her, absolutely terrifies me.

[@cutencurly9019]

I was in high school in Rockville, and I remember getting locked down that first day and just sitting in a classroom in the dark with a bunch of other students. Lock down started in between classes so we were just pushed into random classrooms by the teachers to get us out of the hallway so I wasn’t even in the right room. I still have to leave the room when school shootings get announced on the news because it brings back that anxiety and uncertainty. I can’t even watch this right now, just needed to go in the comments and see I’m not the only one who has issues from growing up in the middle of this wild time in the DC area.

[@Harbinger1776]

I was expecting Simon to do a deep dive on this case on the Casual Criminalist.

[@thomasjordan5578]

Fun fact ; the car purchased and modified for stealth sniping was aquired at SURE SHOT used cars Trenton NJ. SURE SHOTs is still in business there.

[@howyoudurrinhunneh]

I was working nights and remember staying up all day watching the constant coverage

[@ljre3397]

I remember this story. It really had the whole country worrying it could’ve been anywhere.

[@Psycheitout]

The media coverage for this story was insane! When this video first popped up in my feed I was shocked that it was only 12 minutes, but honestly yeah that's all there really is to the story. It just felt like there was more to it, cuz that's all everyone in America was hearing about for a solid month.

[@MandaMalice]

My thoughts too! It was such big news everywhere in the US.

[@traildoggy]

I was visiting back home at the time. It was crazy, everyone was focusing on white vans all over the city. People looked nervous just filling up gas and walking around town. One woman was shot at a bench outside the post office just a few minutes away from my mother's apartment. I remember seeing the bench afterwards, but it has since been removed from the sidewalk.

[@bubbathedm]

The post 9/11 era from 2001 to 2005 or so was fucking wild.

[@tylercouture216]

Very

[@bubbathedm]

@@tylercouture216 Simon should do the anthrax scare next

[@Qb3nsis]

I'd very much like to see a long-form episode of this in the Whistler-verse. It was a chilling time.

[@ghostsquirrel8739]

The killers owned a 1990 Caprice. Not the 1972 Caprice in the thumbnail.

[@bclr6843]

I was living there at the time. It was crazy. My dad wouldn’t let us leave home for any reason. We weren’t allowed to even ride with him to the gas station. To be fair to my dad they shot someone at a Home Depot we lived right behind

[@alrox1]

Crazy times! I remember the gas stations started putting tarps up on the sections facing the road so there wasn't a line of sight on people pumping gas. There were also volunteers who would pump the gas for you. My mom made us keep our curtains closed at home at all times so the snipers couldn't see us (our area didn't have any attacks). I also remember the jubilation when they caught them. I celebrated by going out to CompUSA since it was "safe" to shop again.

[@jayday1480]

I lived in NOVA during this. Everyone's world was flipped upside down. No one had anyway of understanding why it was happening

[@michaelpipkin9942]

I remember all the black cooks at my restaurant were incredibly sad it wasn't a white guy.

[@Shoelessjoe78]

Yeah that theory has been playing out for far too long. But racism runs both ways.

[@cantsay2205]

It's tragic that's how people think. They don't hate that it happened, they just hate that they can't make a narrative about it.

[@Stichting_NoFap]

That's very sad of them.

[@ecocodex4431]

I HIGHLY doubt this. The only time I see this kind of sentiment is when far-right extremists are crying because a mass murderer isn't muslim or trans.

[@michaelpipkin9942]

@@ecocodex4431 This is nothin. Is it really that unbelievable?? Hahaha. I've heard some wild shit from the kitchen.

[@jennyng2994]

I was in school during that time when 6 of the shootings happened within a 2.5 mile radius. The school asked parents to pick up their children at the front doors so that we didn’t have to be outside for long periods. It’s interesting how I remembered the chaos, but not understanding why it was happening. I sincerely feel bad for the victims and their families of this senseless tragedy

[@utilitarian]

I remember this being all over the news here in the UK and remember how surreal it felt, and absolutely terrifying. RIP to those who were going about their day, just to be slaughtered at random :(

[@ValkyrieofNOLA]

I was in college when this happened. I remember how terrifying the thought of a sniper shooting random people across multiple states without any apparent reason or pattern to the killings was paralyzing. I can’t imagine how the people living in that area felt. I would have locked myself in my house and never leave until the sniper was caught.

[@vudoga6082]

I remember this vividly, I was in high school and didn't live too far from Ashland, VA. School lockdowns, the overall sense of unease, it was wild. I remember one of the suspected types of vehicles was a white work van. As ubiquitous as those are, that was a stressful 3 weeks seeing them everywhere.

[@brucemichaelwentworth3857]

I too lived in the DC metro area during the sniper shootings. I worked for a local household moving company, and with reports of a white box van being involved we were stopped many times, also only happening a year after 9/11 most of my friends at that time figured that it was ongoing terror attacks related to 9/11. Crazy crazy times. We also ended up doing a household move for Charles moose, the Montgomery county officer in charge of the investigation and eventual arrest. That was surreal!

[@neighborhoodcatlady6094]

I live in N Virginia. Remember when this happened and thinking that that sniper screwed up when they attacked someone in Virginia. Like it or not, Virginia was serious about the death penalty at the time. That isn’t the case in Maryland or DC.

[@josh218721]

I live in Maryland and this happened while I was in High School. Football (American football, Simon) practices had to be performed inside and games had heavy police presence. Approximately 25 armed cops each game were present as opposed to the usual 1 unarmed resource officer for each game. It was a wild time.

[@Pr0toPoTaT0]

I live in Maryland and to this day its still a fear in some middle aged people. There's no way to really describe the peace this man took from people. Over two decades later.

[@jacquelyn1784]

Who can blame us, look at howbad it's gotten since. You can't even go to a parade or the library without thinking about the possibility of some ahole coming to ruin it

[@MichaelArlt]

Interesting to see the rifle had a sight and not a scope, if it was the original rifle shown.

[@dilldowschwagginz2674]

I would imagine the rifle used had some glass mounted on it... Probably not a good scope but some magnified glass nonetheless. I see the pic shows a simple AR with an EOTech style red dot optic but as we've learned from recent revelations - they aren't above showing the public misleading pictures.

[@MichaelArlt]

@@dilldowschwagginz2674 I did imagine the same. Not an ACOG but some 2 times maybe. Im not a gun enthusiast, nor i own a gun, but i know the challenge of aiming. Im not patronizing what they did, its horrible, though the shots seemed to be very accurate. On the second point i also agree with you, do not always trust what you get to see ;)

[@stephen3164]

Lived in MD during this time. They actually found the killers not far from my area. People were instructed to hide behind columns when filling up at gas stations, and walking zig zag when crossing parking lots. For over 3 weeks, we lived in fear. A white van was seen at every shooting - so every white van was sus. In the end, the killers turned out to be using a blue car. The white van thing was bc there’s just so many white vans around all the time.

[@Tirani2]

I do not have adequate words to describe what a terrifying that time was in the DC Metro area. I worked down the street from one of the gas stations where there was a shooting. Friends lived near locations that were targeted. You couldn't turn anywhere without feeling like you were safe.

[@Necronius94]

I remember this rather well. My family had moved to Montgomery county the summer before, and I was in elementary school. The teachers almost panicked because we’d had a code blue drill a month before, and nobody knew why until everyone went home. A few kids just didn’t come in the next day since their parents were too nervous to let them go back.

[@Sammymc]

I remember how terrifying this was. I was a teenager. And nowhere felt safe. Places you went everyday suddenly felt like traps. Every time I had to fill up my car I was shaking in fear.

[@KarynHill]

The Home Depot one took place within minutes of me having left that parking lot. I kept the receipt, which had the time I checked out, for a long time. I still have and use the extra long extension cord I bought that day, and think of it each time I use the cord. We're all a coincidence away from complete disaster, so make the most out of every moment.

[@ian4846]

6:49 I live half a mile from here. The parking lot they fired from is this strange parking lot that’s always empty and has stayed undeveloped forever. I think it’s partially due to the legacy of what happened there. I was born in ‘03 so I wasn’t alive when this happened but it left a lasting mark on the community

[@alexanderhikel2350]

You should do the Mandalay Bay shooting , that was absolutely devastating

[@hapter437]

the what now? the fbi closed the case for no reason. there is more evidence suggesting steven paddock wasnt the shooter than there is supporting it. it happened, it was a tragedy, but with the lack of evidence in the entire case plus the fbi closing the whole thing makes it impossible to cover

[@RBrooksC]

I live in the Baltimore area. My wife's grandmother lived in the DC Suburbs. We would travel down that way during the time of this situation. The place they were caught was near where I lived in Frederick, Maryland.

[@brantonzhang]

This was a crazy story. My uncle was almost shot by the snipers at the same Home Depot where the woman was killed in Falls Church, Virginia. My uncle was living in DC at that time and just bought a new house. Everything was under renovations at that time so everything was breaking. That night one of the pipes broke and he had to drive out to Home Depot real quick to repair it so he was running in and out of the store. He left 5 mins before the woman in the parking lot was shot that night. He still has the receipt to prove it, I’ll try to post it somewhere.

[@mrterp04]

I was in college near where this happened (University of Maryland), it was wild being told to cross the street “in a zigzag fashion”, having Charles Moose on tv every evening, and gas stations putting up tarps around their pumps to shield customers from view.

[@smac1706]

Finally. I've been patiently waiting for you to make a video about this! 💯

[@Oldschooldan1]

I remember traveling from New Jersey to Virginia right after the shooting in Ashland. I had my newborn daughter with me and whenever I had to stop for gas or to change her diaper, you could see the tension in everyone's face. We were all looking over our shoulders.

[@Hunting4knowledge]

I remember when this happened. I lived right next to 7 corners shopping center that was shot up. I remembered being instructed to walk home from schools in a zig zag pattern as police cleared the woods surrounding our school. America.

[@williammurray1341]

Profilers were so confident that the suspect was a white, middle-aged loner that the sniper passed through several checkpoints without the car being checked.

[@tfleu725]

I love how the “white box truck” you pictured is like over a decade newer than the crime… 😂

[@afrikasmith1049]

I remember learning about this as a teenager watching American Gangster.

[@RuntzAHK]

From manassas Virginia here I remember this shit vividly during elementary school bro they basically just told us if we had to be out in public “ run in a zig zag “ 🤣 not gon lie it was some crazy times my grandma was paranoid like no other

[@luv2sail66]

I remember this like it was yesterday. At one point the media emphasized the threat may be greater in areas close to major highways. I was practicing medicine in an office less than a mile from the intersection of 2 major highways. My staff and I hurried from our cars to the building ducking behind other vehicles when we could. We closed the blinds in all rooms facing the exterior of the building. One day as I arrived I saw a white van parked at a bank building next to my office building. I stupidly decided to take a look then thought better of it. I called the authorities but nothing obviously came of it. It was a scary time and we all were relieved when the culprits were apprehended.

[@EveryGameGuru]

I remember this. They told us to walk in "zig zag" patterns 😆

[@hermitcrabs]

Makes me feel old remembering this on the news like it was a few years ago... it was already over 20 man how time flies.

[@LEbackstage]

I was 12 y/o and live in Germany but even I remember the father son sniper duo. It was all over the news here, too.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

A memorial to the victims of the D.C. area sniper attacks is located at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. An additional memorial was constructed in 2014 in the government plaza of Rockville, Maryland.

[@prettypuff1]

I was a freshman at Howard university when this happened… I lived on 4th street NW. Those of us who lived in the rougher areas weren’t concerned about him coming out there

[@jazdragen]

I remember everyone being terrified of having to stop at gas stations to pump gas. Everyone was pumping ducked down behind the profile of their cars. Never seen an entire metropolis caught in such pervasive tension until the Covid era

[@petermielke5026]

I live near where all this happened! My Grandpa also lived right down the road from four of the shootings. I was living in VA in NOVA when it happened. Though I was only six when it happened. If you go down the road from the former Shoppers (it's a Lidl now), there's a monument to the fallen at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD. I remember walking through Brookside when I didn't quite realize the significance of the monument. Then I watched this video and went "😳😳 Omg this happened right here!" I was like "Omg I know these places!" It definitely gives me a new perspective on the shootings. Hit close to home when I realized it.

[@RealSaintB]

I remember how the task force was looking for a specific profile in their suspect and the two actual shooters were so far from that profile that they weren't even on the radar until that last killing.

[@Calebgoblin]

That was horrific, I wonder if it inspired the Jack Reacher shooting spree plot. Also imagine having literally served in the military and then narrating a script that called an unmagnified holographic sight a "long distance rifle scope"

[@PinkyJujubean]

I remember when this happened. My aunt called me out of the blue one morning "can I come stay at your house? There's a madman loose in my neighborhood". I convinced her to stay there and just stay inside. I love my aunt but she's prone to knee jerk paranoia

[@clubjed6276]

Do eric frein!? From pa. He shot 2 state troopers and hid from the cops for at least a month in the Pennsylvania wilderness.

[@stephenhood2948]

Him and the cop in LA that hid in the woods, Christopher Dorner, both are very crazy stories.

[@JJERSE]

“4 people were shot dead with a fifth fatally” ??? So 5 shot dead.

[@vrts]

I replayed that a few times. Didn't make any sense.

[@d0ublestr0ker0ll]

The sniper threw a drink at me while I was walking down the street. It was around noon in Rockville, Maryland. They were taking a right turn at a red light, and I saw him throw it from the passenger seat out of the periphery of my eye. I watched as this fast food cup flew thru the air and landed about 5 feet in front of me. I stopped, and we made eye contact for about 2 seconds as they turned the corner and went down the street. I figured it was just some douche kid and didn't think much of it. A week or so later, I saw the same car and the same kid on the news. Still freaks me out. My friend's (uncle IIRC) was one of the victims, James Buchanan. I also went to one of John Muhammad's hearings at the Rockville courthouse. He was boisterous and trying to crack jokes. Absolute sociopath.

[@missshooks]

I still remember being a kid when this happened.

[@jacquelyn1784]

I was wondering why no one has ever done this one, it was terrifying when I was a kid

[@mirthenary]

God. So weird to hear Simon saying all these places I'm intimately familiar with and have actually been to many of the shooting spots, used to live in the area when this was all going down

[@terpman]

I was in high school in Montgomery County at the time. My girlfriend's mom's coworker was one of the people fatally shot, as was my friend's uncle. Many hours were spent listening to the news and watching Chief Moose's press conferences. At school, they literally told us to run from the bus to our house in a zig-zag if we didn't have someone to pick us up. My father had a white box truck for his business and I remember stopping at a gas station with him to fill it up one day. People quickly moved away from us and I could sense the suspicion. It was definitely a surreal time.

[@leholen381]

I was 10 years old when this was happening. I remember my mom being worried about it because she had 3 young kids and my dad was out to sea for 6 months. She was nervous every time she had to stop for gas.

[@unhaix707]

Was in middle school at the time. My dad would not let us ride the bus and drove us to school every day.

[@kimberlyfelten6368]

Damn, I can't watch this, I legitimately tried, but I guess I finally found something I'm too sensitive for. I was a senior in high school in Rockville, right down the street from this, the Aspen Hill Gas Station where something was, the men with what looked like machine guns stopping every student car to question and search on their way into the school if they deemed necessary. Getting gas before school being worried I might die. Whoa, okay so I maybe I have unresolved things to work out. Cool. I'll be back to watch this after I bring it up in therapy! Sorry for rambling, just sorta needed to.

[@jaybower1320]

I was in middle school, living in Alexandria, when these attacks happened. I remember the highway checkpoints and the school lock-downs. The white astro-van they searched for.. wild couple weeks

[@jmanj3917]

3:57 "BOLO for a white box truck!!" Every. Single. Time. It was ridiculous. 😡

[@r.b.ratieta6111]

I remember being in Jr. High when this happened, and every time they had a reporter on camera at the scene of the most recent murder, a few of us would be like, "Ummm...how do they know the sniper isn't still there? This was one of the few cases where even seasoned law enforcement officers looked stressed and frightened during interviews.

[@danielredding9205]

This not only needs to be on TCC, but it needs to be 3-4x longer.

[@tylercouture216]

Im 30 years old and had a good grip on things even when younger. I actualy working in this area where the murders took place. Like falls church mannassas fairfax and so on

[@myspiderungoliant]

Ah, the DC snipers; the only serial killers I know of where the motive was giving the cops a red herring to investigate while the older of the pair was planning on killing his wife and making it look like the random phantom who was killing people willy-nilly.

[@stephenhood2948]

I had never heard that aspect of it. I knew he had a ex wife, but I had never heard he had planned to kill her as part of this spree. Interesting. I lived just south of DC when this was happening. It was one of the more crazier few months that I can recall. Everyone zigzagging around parking lots wondering if a sniper was aiming at them at the moment.

[@esteemedmortal5917]

@@stephenhood2948yeah, his wife was living in Montgomery Village if I recall. She’s a goddamn strong woman. She’s an inspiration to listen to.

[@stephenhood2948]

@@esteemedmortal5917 I just read about this on Wiki. They wouldn't allow this is be said in the trial. This was a really crazy time to live in the DMV. Ill have to look for an interview with her, I have never heard her speak regarding this insanity.

[@EmilyJelassi]

I remember this!! I was in high school during all of this .... scary

[@ecocodex4431]

My family was literally driving from Florida to Virginia as we were moving to Virginia during these shootings. It was crazy

[@nvus2758]

As a resident of the area at the time, I can attest to everything he said. Scary time.

[@SunflowerHeliotrope]

I was in high school in 2002, just a few towns over from Bowie (it’s pronounced “Boo-ee” not “Bow-ee”, btw), where the 13-year-old was shot outside his school. I remember gas stations hanging huge tarps from the roof so people could get gas without worrying (too much) about getting shot. I remember all after school activities, including sports and Homecoming, were canceled. When they say we “lived in fear,” that’s not hyperbole: we were scared to the point of paranoia, side-eyeing every white box truck or blue sedan, running in a zig-zag formation from the car to the entrance of any building. As others said, this was a year after the 9/11 attacks, I went to school with kids whose parents worked at the Pentagon. Then there was the anthrax scare, and then this…a 15-minute video barely scratches the surface of how wild this case was. What I’ve learned since those awful days: the Death tarot card doesn’t actually mean a literal death. The Death card actually represents change, the end of a cycle, and/or rebirth. John Allen was clearly using it as psychological warfare to scare people who didn’t know diddly squat about tarot practice. As for Lee Boyd Malvo…I truly feel sorry for him. He was just a kid, one easily manipulated by a monster to commit such terrible crimes. Yes, Malvo did heinous things, which he now, as an adult, admits to and regrets every day of his life; to his credit, he’s said in multiple interviews that his sentence was fair, that he deals deep remorse and wishes he could “take everything back.” Downvote me if you want, I can’t help but feel at least some empathy toward him.