THE US: Law enforcement authorities in West Virginia have said they suspect that a single killer, firing a rifle from a distance, is responsible for three fatal shootings in and near the capital city of Charleston in recent days.
The attacks are reminiscent of the sniper shootings that spread fear through the Washington area last autumn.
A man and a woman were shot late on Thursday outside convenience stores near Charleston, in Kanawha County. The killings occurred within 10 miles of each other and about an hour apart. A third man was killed on Sunday outside another convenience store in Charleston.
Authorities are investigating whether a fourth fatal shooting, outside a Charleston supermarket in March, is linked to what they fear is a random string of killings.
The county sheriff, Mr Dave Tucker, said investigators are searching for a black pickup truck with gold trim that witnesses reported seeing at one of the shooting scenes. Witnesses also reported seeing a heavy-set white man in the truck.
Mr Tucker said investigators believe a small-calibre rifle was used in the three shootings. The slugs are being tested to determine if they came from the same weapon.