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Sniper rifle is linked to Louisiana death
( 2002-11-01 14:22 ) (7 )

Ballistic tests have matched the rifle used in the Washington-area sniper killings with the fatal shooting of a woman in Baton Rouge, La., state and federal law enforcement officials said Thursday.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confirmed that the same Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle was used in the killing, officials said.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said the investigation was continuing into the possibility that other people may be involved or that the two suspects in custody in Maryland have committed more crimes.

``We will proceed deliberatively, cautiously and not jump to any conclusions,'' Ashcroft said. ``The facts that the evidence will determine the final outcome and we intend to follow the facts wherever they may lead.''

With the match, the same rifle has been tied to shootings in four states and the District of Columbia. Earlier Thursday, Alabama authorities said the weapon was linked to a September liquor store robbery and killing; police are also looking into cases in Washington state, Oregon, California, Arizona, Michigan, Tennessee and Connecticut.

John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, face multiple state and federal charges for the shooting in Alabama and the series of sniper shootings in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., that left 10 dead and 13 wounded.

A bullet recovered from the scene of a Sept. 23 killing of a 45-year-old beauty supply worker during a robbery in Baton Rouge came from the sniper rifle, the official said. The victim was shot once in the head. Witnesses described the gunman as a young black man who fled into a park.

It also is possible that the rifle was involved in a second shooting in Baton Rouge that did not result in a fatality, the official said. Details of that case were not immediately available.

Muhammad, formerly known as John Allen Williams, grew up in Baton Rouge and still has relatives and friends there, including one of his ex-wives. He visited the area this summer, friends said.

Muhammad and Malvo have been in federal custody since their Oct. 24 arrest at a Maryland rest stop. Authorities recovered the Bushmaster rifle from the 1990 Chevrolet Caprice in which the two were found sleeping; that car had a hole in the trunk that could allow someone to fire shots undetected.

Attorney General John Ashcroft is considering whether the federal government will take the lead in prosecuting the two or have the first trials in Maryland, Virginia or elsewhere. Muhammad and possibly Malvo could face the death penalty if convicted on the charges filed so far.