Ohio police hunt highway shooter

Fearful local drivers say they have changed their routes

Investigators have linked more bullets to a shooting spree in Ohio in which one woman has been killed.

Ballistics tests confirm that the same gun was used in four shootings, but officials in Columbus say they believe there have been a minimum of 12 connected attacks.

Eleven of the shootings were at vehicles travelling on or near Interstate 270, the road that encircles Columbus.

But new evidence indicates that whoever is responsible has also shot into a residential area, targeting a school building in the dead of night, according to Steve Martin of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.

"Even though it was 1.35 in the morning - that a school was shot, it's a big leap for us," he told reporters.

Security is now being stepped up at local schools and increased protection will remain in force on and around the highways south of Columbus.

Motorists targeted

Chief Deputy Martin said the bullet fired through a window at the school on 11 November matched that which killed 62-year-old Gail Knisley as she travelled in a friend's car last Tuesday.

Forensic experts have also linked it to two other highway shootings, one in October and one in November.

Gail Knisley was killed in the latest shooting

The number and frequency of the attacks did not become clear until after Ms Knisley's murder.

After news of the killing broke, other people reported that they too had been fired on.

Edward Cable had his car window shot out by a bullet which struck just 16 inches (41 centimetres) from his head.

"That night I didn't realise at first how close or how serious it was," he told the ABC TV network.

"The next day, when I actually discovered for sure it was a gunshot and how close it was, then, yes, I became upset seriously, I mean, almost ill, if you would."

Reward offered

A taskforce has been formed to investigate the shootings which are believed to have started in May. There have been no reported attacks since the Knisley killing.

Local businesses have raised $10,000 to offer as a reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of whoever is responsible for the shootings.

Police have received hundreds of tips but continue to appeal to the public for more information.

They are refusing to release details of the weapon used or attempt to profile the attacker as they say they do not want to deter anyone from giving in information which may not match their suppositions.

They are also refraining from calling the attacker a "sniper" - a word associated with the terror inflicted around Washington DC last year when two men shot and killed people at random.

But it seems clear that the shootings are causing alarm. Some 62% of respondents to an online poll run by a local TV station say they are now taking a different route when they need to drive through the area.