Ohio Seeks Suspect in Freeway Shootings; American Civilian Dies from Wounds from Drive-By Shooting Yesterday in Mosul
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are at CNN global headquarters. Good morning, I'm Daryn Kagan. We always start with the headlines. Police in Ohio are looking for this man; 28-year-old Charles McCoy Jr. of Columbus is a suspect in the series of 24 highway shootings around the Columbus area since last May. Police have issued a warrant for his arrest. We have the latest in a live report just ahead. In Baghdad, a fourth American civilian died overnight from wounds in a drive by shooting yesterday in Mosul. A fifth is being treated at a U.S. military hospital. The victims work for the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. They were said to be delivering relief supplies. In western Pakistan, the search for terrorists intensifies. At least four Pakistani military forces are dead along with three others, after a battle in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistani forces are looking for suspected terrorists. Some believe Usama bin Laden may be hiding in that area. The Reverend Al Sharpton is conceding defeat in his bid for the Democrats' presidential nomination; but he says he'll continue to campaign for what he calls "an urban agenda." Sharpton is endorsing presumptive nominee John Kerry. Congressman Dennis Kucinich also remains on the campaign trail. And we're going to begin this morning in Ohio's capital city, where police have launched a nationwide manhunt for this man, 28 year- old Charles McCoy Jr. They believe he may be the gunman who opened fire on two-dozen motorists. Police say McCoy lived within miles of Interstate 270, the center of the month's long shooting spree that's left windshields shattered, school buses dented and at least one woman dead. Sean Callebs is in Columbus with more on this latest update. Good morning.</s>SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. On a cold, snowy day here in Columbus, we don't know if authorities are any closer to apprehending the suspect. But I spoke with an investigator a short while ago, and he told me since the news conference last night announcing 28 year old Charles McCoy was a suspect they have received, quote, "a ton of phone calls." And Corporal Mark Papas says right now they are in the initial phase of going through all that information trying to see if there's is anything there that will pan out. But over and over again authorities have maintained that McCoy should be considered armed and dangerous, and they urged people not to try and approach him, certainly not to try and apprehend him under any circumstances. And talking with the investigators, they say that McCoy is suicidal with homicidal tendencies. Now, McCoy also lives at home with his mother. And apparently had been under surveillance by authorities since last Friday. Sheriff's deputies have been very tight lipped about their investigation so far, until going public last night with that information.</s>STEVE MARTIN, CHIEF DEPUTY, FRANKLIN COUNTY: The most important thing and the reason that we wanted to get this out, which we've done throughout this investigation, is to notify the public and you guys from the media, and get this information out as soon as possible. That is the key issue for us right now is to locate this guy. And when we do, we'll give you some additional information.</s>QUESTION: What makes you...</s>MARTIN: But right now that's the only information I'm going to give.</s>QUESTION: Why armed and dangerous? What makes you say he's armed and dangerous?</s>MARTIN: Because we believe he bought another gun, that's why.</s>CALLEBS: Well, McCoy is 5'7" weighs 185 pounds. And apparently drives a 1999 Chevy Metro. That's important, because all of that information fits description from some eyewitness at some of the various shootings. Now, McCoy is wanted on one count of felony -- felonious assault for allegedly firing a gun into a house. And a bullet fragment taken from that house also matches some of the fragments from at least eight other separate shootings. And here's a bit of information that's going to be tough for people in this area if McCoy turns out to be the shooter. He apparently had been pulled over twice for speeding in the past year once in May 2003, once in November of 2003. On both occasions he ended up paying the tickets. As Daryn mentioned, there have been 24 shootings in this area in the past 10 months or so, including one fatality, a 62-year-old woman who was shot on November 25 and died the next day. Daryn, back to you.</s>KAGAN: Which leads me to a quick question, though. Why does he have only one count against him at this point -- Sean?</s>CALLEBS: Well, from the information they have given so far, there's only one count that he specifically fired that gun into a house. They have no other information apparently that connects him with firing at any of the other sites until more information is garnered, until they can bring him in and talk to him.</s>KAGAN: Sean Callebs in Columbus, thank you. We'll check back with you in the next hour. And we encourage you to stay with us. Just a few minutes from now, we'll talk with a retired FBI agent, a former profiler, Candice DeLong. She will offer insights into this case. And this next story as well. It is the latest bizarre twist in the murder of nine people inside a Fresno, California home. Authorities say there was a pattern to the shootings deaths of the woman and eight children; but they won't elaborate. They do say they have removed more evidence from the scene. Our Rusty Dornin is in Fresno with the latest on this story -- Rusty.</s>RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, removal of that evidence was an eerie sight last night. Police went in and brought out 12 shiny, hand carved mahogany coffins. This is four days after the nine people were discovered murdered in the house. Now, an antique storeowner claims that Mark Wesson, the suspect bought the coffins about five years ago; claimed he wanted to use the wood to repair a boat. Other people who had visited the house did see the coffins piled in the corner at the house. Meantime, all nine autopsies have been completed. All died of gun shot wounds. Apparently the coroner says that she believes six -- there are six mothers of the victims but only one of the victims was a mother of one of the other victims. Also, toxicology tests are -- should be forth coming this week. We might learn more about whether any of the people were drugged before they were killed. Police do say that the suspect, Marcus Wesson is calm, articulate and cooperative. And some people who know him say that they are still very shocked at what happened. One of the realtors that had the listing on the house said he used to go to the house to talk business with Wesson and said at that time there were no signs that the women were fearful.</s>CHARLIE CLARK, WESSON'S REALTOR: They stayed away from me. Basically I was there to see Marcus. And Marcus would walk me through the house. I had been through the house. I had been through the bedrooms. I have seen three kids in this bedroom and four in this kid -- and four in this bedroom or something.</s>DORNIN (on camera): Was it well kept?</s>CLARK: It was well kept. It was clean. There were no odors. They were kind of camped out there.</s>DORNIN: The big question, of course, still is why? Police say they don't have a motive in these slayings. Meantime, Marcus Wesson is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow -- Daryn.</s>KAGAN: Rusty Dornin with the latest from Fresno. Thank you, Rusty. We want to take a closer look at both these top stories through the eyes of law enforcement professional. Candice DeLong, a retired FBI agent and profiler -- former profiler. She is the author of "Special Agent, My Life On The Front Lines." And she is up early with us this morning from San Francisco. Candice, good morning.</s>CANDICE DELONG, FROMER FBI PROFILER: Good morning.</s>KAGAN: Let's start to the south of San Francisco in Fresno. Clearly something wasn't right. Even before this all took place, you have one man, a number of mothers, a number of children and what appears to be alleged incest as well.</s>DELONG: Mm-hmm. It looks like it's something that probably had been building for years. Although it is a little bit unusual to see a middle age man, 57, do something like this. Periodically we did see it. I used to be in the field of psychiatry before I was an agent. And sometimes these things happen later in life.</s>KAGAN: When you say a man this age, if you were going to see one man at the center of an odd family like this, you would expect it to be a younger man?</s>DELONG: Well oftentimes, what we see in family annihilators, people that kill their whole families, and sometimes that is the woman, or the mother of the children does it. But more often it is the man. And usually we see it usually between 40 and 50. And I believe Mr. Wesson is 57 years old.</s>KAGAN: Yes. And police have said that they're not shutting off the idea that other people could still be involved in this case and other charges filed.</s>DELONG: Right. I -- that's, of course, possible. I would be surprised to find out that there was anybody else involved or cert -- more than one person. That would surprise me.</s>KAGAN: All right. Let's look at the other case coming out of Columbus, Ohio. Police finally after all these months and these shootings, say they have a suspect. Late 20s, white male, Charles McCoy Jr. How does this fit with the profile you would expect in this case?</s>DELONG: Pretty much right on; these types of crimes are not committed by middle age men. I mean going out and taking shots at moving vehicles. Similarly, the fact that he got away with it for so long. He was fairly successful at keeping this going for a while, also, points to the fact that it wasn't a teenager doing it. So -- and it's usually these kinds of crimes are committed by white males, usually. And so, he really kind of fits right in the middle -- right in -- right on it there.</s>KAGAN: Yes. And we do have to say, of course, he's only been charged with one count, not with all the shootings. And it is alleged at this point. We can't just make the leap that he is guilty of the one charge that he has been charged with until he is found guilty. How good though is profiling? You know, I can't help but think the sniper case I covered out of Washington, D.C.; this was the kind of person they were looking for. And of course, it turned out to be two African-American males of different ages.</s>DELONG: Right. Well, profiling is best utilized when there is a crime scene, there's interaction between the offender and the victim, such as murder in a home or something like that. Or rape/murder. These kinds of crimes, where you don't really have a crime scene, and the interaction between the offender and the victim is minimal other than the gunshot, are very difficult to profile other than to say, such as in the D.C. sniper case, statistically you are probably looking for this kind of person. And that's only in the absence of eyewitness identification.</s>KAGAN: Got it. Candice DeLong thanks for offering up your expertise. Appreciate it.</s>DELONG: You're welcome.</s>KAGAN: It has been three months since he was captured, but we have heard very little about Saddam Hussein. Christiane Amanpour is ahead with what is next for Saddam. And the mother charged with murder for refusing a C-section says she's not guilty. A live report from Salt Lake City with new details in the case. And later...</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just instant. Just the next thing I knew, I was spinning through the air, like I was in a washing machine or something.</s>KAGAN: Not a typical day in the Colorado Mountains. A man's incredible story of survival is just ahead.