US schools defy sniper threats

Many children turned up for school on Wednesday

Schools in the Washington area reopened on Wednesday amid tight security, a day after police revealed that the serial sniper terrorising the area had threatened to target children.

Police released details of a note from the mystery gunman on Tuesday, which warned that children were "not safe anywhere or at anytime".

Security has been stepped up in all of the area's schools

In an effort to beef up security, teaching staff have reportedly been briefed by police, while pupils' parents are volunteering to patrol school grounds.

The US Government has also agreed to give $600,000 to schools in the area to strengthen security.

"I've ordered the full resources of the federal government to help local law enforcement officials in their efforts to capture this person," US President George Bush said on Wednesday.

"There is a ruthless person on the loose. We pray for a quick end to this period of violence and fear," he said.

I don't feel safe at all... I feel as if I am in prison

Hannah Matthew, Maryland pupil

Police confirmed on Wednesday that 35-year-old bus driver Conrad Johnson, who was shot while standing in the door of his bus in the Aspen Hill area of Montgomery County on Tuesday morning, was the sniper's latest victim.

Police have appealed for new witnesses - in particular with information about Tuesday's shooting - to come forward.

And they stressed that any immigrants should not hold back information for fear of police investigating their status.

Schools in fear

As the intensive hunt for the elusive gunman continued, schools in the Richmond area of Virginia reopened after being closed for two days.

	:	Trail of terror
Map showing location of recent attacks

Other schools in the greater Washington region remained open but cancelled outdoor events and kept pupils indoors during school hours.

There was a reduced student transportation service and schools across the region reported below-average attendance.

Hannah Matthews, a student in Maryland, told BBC News Online that children were afraid.

Police have confirmed that Conrad Johnson was the sniper's latest victim

"I don't feel safe at all. We are in our third week of lock-down at our school. I feel as if I am in prison," she said.

But other put a brave face on their ordeal.

"I'm not afraid of the sniper," 17-year-old Heather Willson, from Albert Einstein High School, told the Associated Press.

"My school's fairly closed in. I don't see any reason why he's going to change his tactics now and come inside and start shooting up students," she said.

Correspondence

In total, 10 people have been killed and three others wounded in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC since the shooting spree began on 2 October.

US media reported that the sniper demanded a ransom of $10m in a letter left near the scene of a shooting on Saturday night at a restaurant in Ashland, near Richmond, Virginia.

That letter was also said to contain the warning to children.

There are reports that a new letter was also recovered near the scene of the latest crime. It is said to repeat the demand for money and set a deadline to investigators.

If confirmed, the note left at the scene of Tuesday's shooting is the third known written communication left by the sniper.

The first was a tarot card with the words "I am God", which was found near a school where a boy was shot and wounded.

I've lived in northern Virginia my entire life, and there is an atmosphere of fear
Patrick Murphy, Fairfax County Virginia, USA

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In a flurry of cryptic press conference appearances, Montgomery Police Chief Charles Moose indicated that police were considering requests made by the sniper in that letter.

"We have researched the options you stated and found that it is not possible electronically to comply in the manner that you requested.

"You indicated that this is about more than violence. We are waiting to hear from you," Chief Moose said, adding that it was important to "do this without anyone else getting hurt".

Chief Moose offered to set up a private post office box "or another secure method" for the sniper to contact police.

Media reports say the letter berates the police for hanging up on six previous occasions when he tried to make contact with them by phone.

"Five people had to die" because of their "incompetence", the letter says, according to a source quoted by the Washington Post.