"There was some additional information that we were able to get from last night's case and I am confident that that information is going to lead us to an arrest in the case," he said.
Police closed highways around Falls Church, about 10 miles west of the nation's capital after the shooting, and said they were on the lookout for a Chevrolet Astro van that had a burned-out left rear tail light and had a chrome ladder on its roof. The highways were reopened in time for rush hour.
"There are a fair number of ways to leave the area," Manger said.
The shooting spree that has terrorized residents in the Washington area began Oct. 2 in Montgomery County, Md. With Monday's shooting, the toll has grown to nine people killed and two seriously wounded in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
"Ballistic evidence has conclusively linked this case to the other murders in the area," Manger said.
Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, who is leading the task force investing the shootings, was on the scene of the latest shooting.
Manger declined to confirm reports about a specific description of a possible suspect, saying only that several people contacted police after the shooting and that investigators were still interviewing them.
"We have been receiving quite a bit of information from witnesses," Manger said. "Information is always the key in solving cases like this."
Monday's killing happened at one of northern Virginia's busiest intersections, where major arteries come together to form seven corners. Virginia State Police said the van was last seen traveling east on Route 50 from Falls Church. Interstates 66 and 95 are nearby.
Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI profiler who lives in Fredericksburg, Va., said the location sets the slaying apart from the others. "This is not bold, this is brazen," he said. "It's a much more highly congested area, even under the cover of darkness."
The victim was felled by a single shot about 9:15 p.m. as she stood in the parking lot of the blocks-long shopping center. All the other deaths in the sniper spree were also caused by one shot.
Police scoured the parking lot for evidence and interviewed witnesses early Tuesday. There were a number of people in the parking lot when the shooting occurred, Fairfax County Police Chief Tom Manger said.
Shopper Raymond Massas said he "heard one shot. Not very loud, like a snap. After that I heard people start panicking."
Two police helicopters circled the scene.
"It hasn't been this frightening since 9/11," said Bob Bakley as he stared across Route 50.
Investigators have refused to discuss details of the manhunt. But they have logged some consistencies: the killer favors suburban gas stations; takes down each victim with a single bullet; doesn't kill on weekends; and, judging from a fortunetelling tarot card left at one of the shootings, appears to enjoy taunting police. The card read: "Dear Policeman, I am God."
Many schools in the region were under lockdown Monday, meaning outdoor recess and physical education classes were canceled and students were kept indoors all day. One of the sniper's targets was a 13-year-old boy who was wounded outside his school in Maryland.
"Everyone is edgy," said Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, who is heading the investigation. "People are hearing things that may normally be overlooked."
Earlier Monday, the longest lull yet in the sniper's killing spree brought little relief as jittery residents flooded police with calls after hearing a car backfire, firecrackers or breaking glass.
"I'm looking around for every white van I see," said Richard Spears, who was mowing grass at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg, Va. "It makes you a little leery."
President Bush said the "cold-blooded" attacks have made him sick to his stomach. "I weep for those who have lost their loved ones," he said. "The idea of moms taking their kids to school and sheltering them from a potential sniper attack is not the America that I know."
(Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
