Miguel
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ROCKVILLE, Md. — Police revealed that a message apparently from the Beltway Sniper found on Saturday night included a chilling warning that threatens the safety of children.
The sniper apparently struck for the 13th time Tuesday, killing a bus driver about to set out on his morning route as police revealed the warning found at a shooting scene that read: "Your children are not safe anywhere at any time."
Conrad Johnson, 35, was fatally wounded just before 6 a.m. as he stood on the top step of his bus, setting off a police dragnet and snarling traffic in the suburbs north of the nation's capital.
The shooting happened in Aspen Hill, the same community where the shootings began Oct. 2, and it came despite repeated public efforts by police to engage the sniper in a dialogue.
Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose pleaded Sunday and Monday for the gunman to call, at one point saying a message received had been too muddled to be understood.
On Tuesday, he said police "will be responding soon" to the latest message. He did not take any questions from the media.
The warning about children's safety was apparently discovered by police outside a steakhouse just north of Richmond, Va., where the sniper critically wounded a man Saturday night.
Moose said the warning came in the form of a "postscript."
A senior law enforcement official speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the letter found near the scene of Saturday's shooting also suggested the killer wants several million dollars.
More than 140,000 students in the Richmond area remained home Tuesday as schools were closed for a second day. School officials cited information from police in shutting down, prompting questions for Moose, whose office is leading the sprawling investigation.
Moose said investigators recognized "the concerns of the community" and decided to provide the "exact language that pertains to the threat." He refused to made the rest of the message public.
Immediately after Tuesday's shooting, police put a widespread dragnet into place, clogging traffic on Connecticut Avenue, one of the main arteries into Washington, just as the morning commute began.
Moose said the shooting was "very similar" to those that have killed nine other people and wounded three in Washington, Maryland and Virginia.
"We have not been able to assure that anyone, any age, any gender, any race -- we've not been able to assure anyone their safety," he said.
The shooting happened near an apartment building and wooded area along Connecticut Avenue. The bus was parked at a staging area where drivers get ready for their morning runs, state police spokesman Cpl. Rob Moroney said. Police refused to say whether anyone else was on the bus.
Moose said police had no suspect or vehicle description to report.
Capt. Nancy Demme said drivers typically make such layovers before starting their morning runs.
All the confirmed sniper victims were felled by a single shot. Several residents of a neighboring apartment complex reported hearing one loud bang Tuesday morning.
"It wasn't a pop like a handgun. If it was a gun, it was a high-powered weapon," said Tim Roberts, a carpenter who lives nearby. He said he knew about the sound of weapons from his military service.
Johnson, a married father of two and a 10-year county employee, was pronounced dead at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. In his Oxon Hill neighborhood of townhouses and tree-lined streets, residents expressed sorrow at his slaying.
"This is hitting hard. This not only strikes us as a community, but as a people, as a nation," said Harold McClam, who frequently saw Johnson leaving for work in the mornings. "When they catch this guy they need to punish him to the full extent of the law."
Fellow bus driver Wade Vassell said a friend had called him with the bad news.
"I know my boy eight years. He was my friend," Vassell said. "I'm nervous, real nervous."
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Romans 9:11-24
Our Eschatology may vary even our Ecclesiology may be disputed among us but our Soteriology most assume a singularity and exclusivity which in biblical term is known as Quote; "The Narrow Way" and Quote!
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