been killed in the ensuing multi-vehicle collision.
‘This was a premeditated and despicable attack on innocent motorists,’ Beresford said. ‘Whoever fired those shots chose to do so at the peak of the rush hour on the motorway. Therefore, his objective must have been to harm as many people as possible. As yet we have no idea what his motive is.’
Beresford handed over to Temple who read out a prepared statement containing the basic facts. It included the time the first shot had been fired, based on the traffic camera footage; the names of those who had been killed; the number of vehicles involved in the pile-up and the type of bullets used. He also said they believed the killer to be male. He went on to praise the emergency services for the way they’d responded to the tragedy and said that forty detectives were already involved in the investigation.
He then opened the floor to questions and they came thick and fast.
‘Do you believe this was a terrorist attack?’ asked a fair-haired woman from
The Guardian.
‘We don’t know at this early stage,’ Temple said. ‘But I can tell you that no terrorist organization has yet claimed responsibility for it.’
‘But I understand the Anti-Terrorism Command is now involved,’ the
Guardian
reporter persisted.
Temple nodded. ‘They’re working with us on this. And it should be seen as evidence that we’re taking what’s happened very seriously.’
‘Is it likely that the Command will take over the investigation from Hampshire police?’ she pressed.
‘It depends how things develop,’ Temple said. ‘But that is apossibility. For the time being Southampton MIT will be taking the lead.’
‘Did the sniper fire more than two shots?’ This from a guy holding a CNN microphone.
Temple shook his head. ‘The evidence suggests that only two shots were fired and that the two drivers were picked at random. Their cars were close to each other when they were hit.’
‘There are reports that a witness saw a man on the bridge just before the shootings,’ someone asked. ‘Can you confirm that?’
‘That’s one of many lines of inquiry we’re following,’ Temple said. ‘And I’d like to say now that if anyone watching believes he or she might have information that will help us they should come forward without delay.’
‘When will the motorway re-open?’ asked an ITN reporter.
‘Later today we hope,’ Temple said. ‘It’s still a crime scene and there’s a lot of debris that needs to be cleared before it’s safe to use.’
Temple was then asked if the police thought the killer was a trained marksman. He said it was highly likely. Next he was asked if they were going to release the traffic camera footage. He said that this was still being considered. The questions continued for another fifteen minutes and
Temple and Beresford took turns to answer them, but just as they were about to draw the conference to a close the woman from the BBC raised her arm and said, ‘Can you tell us about the warning the sniper left under the bridge?’
The room suddenly went quiet and Temple’s jaw dropped.
‘Where did you hear that?’ he asked.
‘Our newsroom has just received an anonymous phone call,’ she said. ‘A man told us the sniper wrote that the attack was just the start and that he intended to kill more people. Is that true?’
Temple swore under his breath. He should have known it’d get out. Too many people at the scene had been made aware of it.
He drew a long breath and suppressed the urge to tell the woman that she was an irresponsible moron.
‘We did find a message,’ he said. ‘It was scrawled in paint and is now undergoing forensic analysis. As soon as we’re satisfied it was left by the killer we’ll release the details.’
‘We already have the details, Inspector,’ the woman said, with a smug grin.
She then proceeded to read aloud exactly what had been written in paint on the paving stones under the bridge.
There was
‘This was a premeditated and despicable attack on innocent motorists,’ Beresford said. ‘Whoever fired those shots chose to do so at the peak of the rush hour on the motorway. Therefore, his objective must have been to harm as many people as possible. As yet we have no idea what his motive is.’
Beresford handed over to Temple who read out a prepared statement containing the basic facts. It included the time the first shot had been fired, based on the traffic camera footage; the names of those who had been killed; the number of vehicles involved in the pile-up and the type of bullets used. He also said they believed the killer to be male. He went on to praise the emergency services for the way they’d responded to the tragedy and said that forty detectives were already involved in the investigation.
He then opened the floor to questions and they came thick and fast.
‘Do you believe this was a terrorist attack?’ asked a fair-haired woman from
The Guardian.
‘We don’t know at this early stage,’ Temple said. ‘But I can tell you that no terrorist organization has yet claimed responsibility for it.’
‘But I understand the Anti-Terrorism Command is now involved,’ the
Guardian
reporter persisted.
Temple nodded. ‘They’re working with us on this. And it should be seen as evidence that we’re taking what’s happened very seriously.’
‘Is it likely that the Command will take over the investigation from Hampshire police?’ she pressed.
‘It depends how things develop,’ Temple said. ‘But that is apossibility. For the time being Southampton MIT will be taking the lead.’
‘Did the sniper fire more than two shots?’ This from a guy holding a CNN microphone.
Temple shook his head. ‘The evidence suggests that only two shots were fired and that the two drivers were picked at random. Their cars were close to each other when they were hit.’
‘There are reports that a witness saw a man on the bridge just before the shootings,’ someone asked. ‘Can you confirm that?’
‘That’s one of many lines of inquiry we’re following,’ Temple said. ‘And I’d like to say now that if anyone watching believes he or she might have information that will help us they should come forward without delay.’
‘When will the motorway re-open?’ asked an ITN reporter.
‘Later today we hope,’ Temple said. ‘It’s still a crime scene and there’s a lot of debris that needs to be cleared before it’s safe to use.’
Temple was then asked if the police thought the killer was a trained marksman. He said it was highly likely. Next he was asked if they were going to release the traffic camera footage. He said that this was still being considered. The questions continued for another fifteen minutes and
Temple and Beresford took turns to answer them, but just as they were about to draw the conference to a close the woman from the BBC raised her arm and said, ‘Can you tell us about the warning the sniper left under the bridge?’
The room suddenly went quiet and Temple’s jaw dropped.
‘Where did you hear that?’ he asked.
‘Our newsroom has just received an anonymous phone call,’ she said. ‘A man told us the sniper wrote that the attack was just the start and that he intended to kill more people. Is that true?’
Temple swore under his breath. He should have known it’d get out. Too many people at the scene had been made aware of it.
He drew a long breath and suppressed the urge to tell the woman that she was an irresponsible moron.
‘We did find a message,’ he said. ‘It was scrawled in paint and is now undergoing forensic analysis. As soon as we’re satisfied it was left by the killer we’ll release the details.’
‘We already have the details, Inspector,’ the woman said, with a smug grin.
She then proceeded to read aloud exactly what had been written in paint on the paving stones under the bridge.
There was
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