There has been another shooting. This time about 90 or so miles north of Richman VA.

60 y/o man, shot either in back or stomach. In surgery.

Currently not known if sniper related. No altercations in parking lot before shooting.

-- Anonymous, October 19, 2002

Answers

Conflicting reports of the man's age. Some say in 60's others say 37.

Hopefully not two shootings.

-- Anonymous, October 19, 2002

Yep, am just checking junkie stations; just after midnight, have been napping. Consensus seems to be he's 37 and was leaving a Ponderosa steakhouse. This one is pretty far south, Ashland, 10-15 mins north of Richmond, VA. Parts of I-95 shut down.

-- Anonymous, October 19, 2002

Man shot at Virginia restaurant Unclear if shooting linked to sniper

ASHLAND, Virginia (CNN) -- Authorities shut down sections of Interstate 95 and Routes 1 and 54 after a shooting in the Richmond suburb of Ashland.

Authorities said the man was shot at a Ponderosa Steak House restaurant in Ashland, about 90 miles south of Washington, D.C.

It is not known if this incident is related to a series of sniper shootings in the Washington metropolitan area that has left nine people dead and two others wounded since October 2, but an official with the Hanover County Sheriff's Department said authorities are "treating it as such."

A Virginia state official said the 37-year old white man is undergoing surgery at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He was shot once, the official said. Authorities hope that the bullet can be retrieved from the victim to be tested by the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The official said the man had been in the restaurant for about 45 minutes and left with a female companion. The woman heard the shot, the official said. There was no altercation in the parking lot before the shooting, the official said.

The Virginia State Police said the shooting happened around 8:46 p.m. and said a witness reported seeing a white van with a ladder on the back after the shooting. Similar vehicles have been reported after some of the previous sniper shootings.

Police were searching a wooded area behind the restaurant

A woman who answered the phone at the Ponderosa said police took statements from several employees.

A team from the multijurisdictional sniper task force located in Montgomery County, Maryland, is on its way to Ashland, which is about 15 miles north of Richmond.

CNN Correspondent Gary Tuchman, driving from Washington to Ashland, saw a roadblock on northbound Interstate 95, about 60 miles north of Ashland.

Montgomery County Police also said they have closed down an area just north of the District of Columbia and stopping cars one-by-one in direct response to this shooting in Virginia.

No officials have linked the latest shooting with the sniper killings. There has not been a confirmed sniper attack since Monday, and the sniper has not yet struck on a weekend.

Technicians Saturday examined a bullet shell casing and a white box truck to see if they are linked to the Washington-area sniper shootings but investigators do not hold out "high hopes."

A source involved in the investigation told CNN Saturday that the task force is not highly optimistic that the truck is linked to the shootings. "We don't have high hopes; it's not a high priority," the source said. ashland Traffic is at standstill on sections of Interstate 95 and Routes 1 and 54 as authorities investigate a shooting at an Ashland, Virginia restaurant.

Police said they are still actively searching for the vehicle in a composite image and still want the public to provide information pertaining to the shootings.

The truck was seized Friday after the casing was found inside at a Virginia car rental agency, Montgomery County police said. Results of the ballistics tests done by the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms are not expected to be announced until Monday at the earliest, police said Saturday.

A source close to the investigation said an employee at the agency near Washington Dulles International Airport found the shell casing when he was cleaning out the truck and then notified authorities.

Police would not disclose further details about the truck -- for instance, whether it had lettering on the side or a damaged right rear bumper as did the composite image of a vehicle some witnesses have reported seeing near shooting scenes in Maryland.

Meanwhile, the task force continued its work, investigating tips and suspects. Sources said police have several people under surveillance, not necessarily suspects. As one is ruled out, another is moved to the top of the list and investigated.

"We're trying to narrow them down, but we may go back to some," the source said. "All kinds of things are going on."

After more than two weeks of news conferences held daily, sometimes every few hours, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said none was planned for Sunday.

"It just seemed reasonable that, if we don't have news, to not have a briefing," the chief said.

Saturday marked the fifth day without a sniper shooting -- the longest period of time since the killing spree began.

The lull in the shootings has not reassured many people. The Fairfax Youth League football group held 58 rushed games Saturday inside a building at Fort Belvoir, a military base in Virginia.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, organizers of a gun show predicted a low turnout this weekend because of the sniper attacks.

"This idiot is making it bad for all us gun owners, and they've chosen to stay away," said one man at the show.

-- Anonymous, October 19, 2002

12:44 AM--Just sent this to station:

State police are broadcasting BOLO for white Ford Econo with VA registration, two--I believe they said Black Males in it, re shooting in Ashland, VA. Last seen going south on 95.

-- Anonymous, October 19, 2002

Ashland is about 90 miles south of DC. It's 173 miles to Raleigh from Ashland, if you fork to I-85 at Petersburg. Otherwise, you can take 95 to Wilson, NC, which is about 20 miles east of Raleigh.

-- Anonymous, October 20, 2002