Gunman Kills 2 CIA Employees at Agency’s Gate

A young man “coolly and methodically” sprayed rifle fire into cars waiting to enter Central Intelligence Agency headquarters Monday morning, killing two and wounding three from point-blank range before escaping in his vehicle, authorities and witnesses said.

Although no motive for the assault is known, police speculated that there was “a common-sense connection” to the CIA because the assailant took aim at cars about to turn into the agency’s entrance on a well-traveled thoroughfare.

“We have a list of people that the CIA has given us that may have some type of gripe with the CIA or its employees,” said Robert Wall, a Fairfax County police officer. “We’re going through that list and either qualifying or disqualifying people as suspects.”

The gunman, whom authorities described as a white male with brown hair in his 20s, remained at large Monday as an intensive search continued. He apparently acted on his own and fled in a light brown compact station wagon, police said. The FBI also is involved in the investigation.

The two dead men and two of those injured in the rush-hour shooting spree were identified as employees of the intelligence agency. The fifth victim worked for a CIA contractor. All were males from nearby Northern Virginia suburbs.

The CIA released little information about the attack or the victims. In a written statement, it described employees as “shocked and saddened at the senseless attack on our friends and colleagues.”

The agency’s director-designate, R. James Woolsey, issued a statement offering his condolences to the victims’ families. “I know what a sense of sorrow and frustration CIA employees must feel, and I offer them my support at this terrible moment,” he said. Some 15,000 to 17,000 people are believed to work at the facility.

Police said that the attack was the first of its kind on or near the fortress-like, 258-acre CIA compound south of the Potomac River about eight miles from downtown Washington. Multimillion-dollar mansions belonging to such prominent figures as Ethel Kennedy, widow of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Charles S. Robb (D-Va.) sit short distances away.

One of many witnesses to the shooting was Sen. Robert C. Smith (R-N.H.), who was on his way to the Capitol after dropping his son at school. Smith was next to the two turn lanes near the CIA’s main entrance shortly before 7:50 a.m. when he saw a man in what looked like an army field jacket. He approached the lines of cars from the front, walking directly toward the vehicles.

“Coolly and methodically, with no emotion, no expression and no words, he simply walked up to the automobiles and fired at point-blank range into the windows at these people,” Smith said at a news conference. “It was a pretty horrifying experience to witness.”

Smith was among several witnesses who said that the man was wielding an assault weapon. Police refused to confirm this description. They would only say that the gun was a long-barreled rifle.

“The guy just seemed to have a cold look on his face,” said Larry Bright, a Washington resident who was on a Metro bus at the scene. “Anything that moved, he shot. Pow. Pow. Pow.”

Richard Perez, a Fairfax County police officer, said that the shooting “occurred very fast--30 seconds, 40 seconds, maybe less.” The gunman appeared to have fired at least seven rounds.

Five cars were struck with bullets. After the shooting, drivers of two of the first vehicles in line were able to drive down to the CIA main gate several hundred yards away, where they notified guards of the attack.

Frank Darling, 28, was killed as he sat in his blue Volkswagen. Three bullets penetrated the front windshield, and one apparently tore through the rear hatchback window. Darling’s wife was in the car but was uninjured.

Lansing Bennett, 66, was slain as his blue Saab 900S sat idling next to Darling’s vehicle. The front window on the driver’s side was shattered. Both men lived in Reston, Va.

Darling worked in covert operations, sources said, and Bennett was a physician and intelligence analyst for the CIA.

One of those wounded, Nicholas Starr, 60, of Oakton, Va., an analyst in the intelligence directorate, remained in critical condition Monday after a bullet shattered his left arm and entered his chest. He was in surgery much of the day.

Dr. Cary Schwartzbach, an orthopedic surgeon at Fairfax Hospital, described the damage as “a very high-velocity, high-energy type of injury” caused by “a very powerful weapon.”

Another victim, Calvin Morgan, 61, of Vienna, Va., an engineer, was in serious condition at Fairfax Hospital. The fifth victim, Stephen E. Williams, 48, of Fairfax, was released from Arlington Hospital after being treated for a wound caused when a bullet grazed a rib. Williams works for AT&T.;

The incident stunned many residents of the area. Nearby schools remained in session but were locked for the day and students were not permitted to go outside for recess. A call for blood donations to assist the seriously wounded was met with more than 100 responses. And police said that they were still receiving calls Monday evening from witnesses who had fled the scene in the shooting’s chaotic aftermath.

Police also said that security was being stepped up at the CIA compound.