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Police investigate gunfire mystery in Gaithersburg
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Related Topics: Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg (Map, News) - Police say the residents of Gaithersburg have been plagued by the sound of mysterious nighttime gunshots.
“We’re unsure of why people are firing guns in residential neighborhoods,” police Capt. Alan Goldberg, who heads Montgomery County’s 6th District, which covers Gaithersburg, has said. “It could be target shooting, it could be something more menacing, but we don’t want people doing it and it is illegal.”
Around 11:30 p.m. Monday, shots went off and bullets caused damage to several cars on the 9900 block of Ridgeline Drive, and then, at about 2:20 a.m. Tuesday, more flying bullets near the intersection of State Court and Federal Court damaged a house and cars.
“Detectives believe the cases are related,” said police spokeswoman Melanie Hadley.
The two sections of town, separated by about 3 miles, have very little in common.
Ridgeline Drive runs a loop off Club House Road in Montgomery Village, an area better known for its upper-middle-class residents and well-kept neighborhoods than gunfire.
Residents of State Court and Federal Court, where the other shots were heard, say crime is a problem there.
Goldberg has said police believe other instances might be connected, and as of last month, police were still trying to piece together the seemingly random instances that have popped up across the city.
In late April, police distributed a flier at a community meeting requesting that anybody with knowledge of the random shots speak to police.
And it was a problem that continued Tuesday morning when Montgomery County detectives searched for witnesses and information regarding the gunshots until 5 a.m., but “there was not a lot of cooperation,” Hadley said. “It’s hard to get people to come forward when whoever is responsible is clearly armed.”
Anyone with information should call 301-840-2347.
fklopott@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
1:01 AM MST on Wed., Jul. 9, 2008 re: "Massive stray dog crushes Pomeranian"
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10:03 PM MST on Tue., Jul. 8, 2008
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7:36 PM MST on Tue., Jul. 8, 2008
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Examiner Reader said:
What a sad story. Wish there was more description than "mastiff/pit bull cross." What color was the dog? How large? Too many breeds are mistaken for pit bulls and it's extremely difficult to figure out the breeds in a cross, especially under the stress of being attacked.
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Examiner Reader said:
Funny all these stories about "pits" always contain the phrase of "massive jaws." Instead of blaming the people who own or owned the dog we choose to blame the breed. Though it is in the nature of a Pit to be aggressive towards smaller animals...it is also the case for terriers in general and can also be the case of any larger dog. Blame the People not the dog. I am very sorry also for the owner of the poms because though they were being looked after, because of some other persons ignorance they must suffer.
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Examiner Reader said:
Why is it the only time we hear about dog attacks or someone being bit, it always seems to be a pit bull or a dog of bull nature. Not all pit bulls are violent dogs. My dog is a gentil loving girl. She sleeps in the same bed as all three pf my kids...as she tends to make the rounds to their respective rooms at night. She has never attacked or even barked in a mean manner at anyone. The problem with this kind of publicity for these types of dogs is the stigma. We are moving soon and everywhere we are looking to move we are not going to be able to bring her with us. Our faithful companion will be gone. We plain on making sure she finds the best home. We are interviewing for her and will pick the owner that we think is the best for her. But because of this kind of story is why we have to give her up in the first place. TISK TISK TISK on the media!!
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