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CNN AMERICAN MORNING WITH PAULA ZAHN
Reaction From Montgomery County Grandmother
Aired October 23, 2002 - 07:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We continue our coverage of the sniper story now. We are joined by a Montgomery County resident, Rosetta, who has two teenage grandchildren attending school in the area, and wasn't far from the area yesterday when the bus driver was killed.
Good morning, Rosetta. Thank you very much for joining us this morning.
ROSETTA, MONTGOMERY COUNTY RESIDENT: Good morning.
ZAHN: First of all, what was your reaction when you heard late yesterday that there had been, attached to this note, a sentence or two which basically threatened schoolchildren in the area?
ROSETTA: Well, my first reaction when I found that out was that I felt that the authorities should have informed the media to inform the parents, to let them know and let them make the choice as to whether or not to expose their children to any possible danger.
ZAHN: Had you known that, would you have kept your grandchildren out of school yesterday?
ROSETTA: I probably would not have, but that was my choice to make.
ZAHN: And are they going to school today?
ROSETTA: Yes, they are.
ZAHN: What are your concerns? I know that in the last couple of weeks, you've changed your routine quite a bit with them.
ROSETTA: Well, today was a little bit different. Normally, I drive my grandson to the bus stop around the corner from the incident yesterday, but he was going to get a ride this morning. My granddaughter's bus stop is on our street, so her routine didn't change.
We talked last night, and they are fearful, but I reassured them that there are other things out there as well that could harm them, but I feel that the police presence would kind of deter anybody and detour anybody from actually getting that close to them. They may not be able to stop the sniper, but it may discourage him knowing that they are present.
ZAHN: Now, is it true you live just up the hill from where the bus driver was killed yesterday? ROSETTA: Yes.
ZAHN: And you heard the shot fired, didn't you?
ROSETTA: Yes.
ZAHN: And I know very early on in the day, you were the first to indicate this particular area was an area where bus drivers often stop and did paperwork as they waited to start their next run.
You probably have heard this morning that a second note, according to the "Baltimore Sun," has been found in the Northgate Park not far from the shot we're looking at of the bus. Just your reaction to that. Apparently, it has repeated some of the same demands that were found in the note Saturday night in Ashland, Virginia.
ROSETTA: I did hear there was a second note found. You know, the authorities have a tremendous job on their hands, and it seems like right now that they have no leads, at least nothing that they're going to tell us, and I believe that that's a good thing that they don't tell us every detail. But things that are threatening to the public, I think that they should warn us, forewarn us, and let us make the decision as to what changes we want to make in our daily lives.
ZAHN: Well, we wish you and your family luck, and our hearts are certainly with the rest of your community as you have to wrestle with this enormous challenge.
Thank you, Rosetta, very much for joining us this morning. We appreciate your thoughts.
ROSETTA: Thank you.
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