Remembering the victims

WASHINGTON – For 23 days in October 2002, snipers John Allen Muhummad and Lee Boyd Malvo terrorized the region. They left three people were wounded and killed 10.

With the 10-year anniversary of the shootings here, WTOP takes a closer look at the lives of the victims who were killed:

Oct. 2, 2002

James Martin sniper victim (AP)

James Martin, 55, of Colesville, Md. was shot and killed in the parking lot of Shoppers Food Warehouse on Randolph Road in Wheaton. He worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The father of an 11-year-old boy and leader of his son’s Boy Scout troop, Martin was a Civil War buff and an amateur genealogist. He volunteered at a Washington elementary school, where he judged the science fair and arranged for a donation of computers — which he delivered himself. Friends remember him as a lover of red wine who wore funny ties to church.

Oct. 3, 2002

James Sonny Buchanan sniper victim (AP)

James “Sonny” Buchanan, 39, of Arlington, Va. was shot while mowing the grass on Rockville Pike near the Fitzgerald Auto Mall. Buchanan was an independent landscaper who usually took care of the landscaping at an auto dealership on Saturday. This time, he was mowing the lawn on Thursday when he was shot to death. The auto dealer says Buchanan was an amateur poet and volunteer who worked with underprivileged children through local Boys and Girls clubs.

wakelar sniper victim (AP)

Premkumar Wakelar, 54, Olney, Md. was killed while pumping gas in Aspen Hill. Walekar was born in Bombay, and came to the U.S. to go to college when he was 18. His marriage was arranged by his brother — who says the bride and groom didn’t meet until a couple of days before the wedding. But he says, “After the marriage, there was love.” Relatives said he worked hard, sent money to his father in India and helped bring his siblings to America. He was a quiet man with a good sense of humor, they said.

ramos sniper victim (AP)

Sarah Ramos, 34, of Silver Spring, Md. was killed at Rossmoor Boulevard at the shopping center in Leisure World in Silver Spring. She had gotten off the bus and had sat down on a bench to read when she was shot in the head. Friends described Ramos, a native of El Salvador who worked as a babysitter, as a hardworking immigrant who dreamed of building a prosperous life. Ramos was remembered as a cheerful, fun-loving wife and a doting mother of a 7-year-old son. She belonged to several church groups.

Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera (AP)

Lori Ann Lewis Rivera, 25, of Silver Spring, Md. was killed while vacuuming her van at a Shell station at Connecticut and Knowles avenues in Kensington. Originally of Mountain Home, Idaho, she decided in junior high school that she wanted to become a nanny. After high school, she went to a nanny school in Oregon. Her father, Marion Lewis, said in 2002 that she was “special to everybody she met and she brought friendship and love.” Lewis-Rivera lived in an apartment but dreamed of moving to a house.

Charlot sniper victim (AP)

Pascal Charlot, 72, of D.C. was killed while standing on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Kalmia Stree in Northwest. He was waiting for a bus. Charlot was a retired arpenter who immigrated from Haiti. He was known for fixing things around his neighbors’ homes.

Oct. 9, 2002

Dean Harold Meyers sniper victim (AP)

Dean Harold Meyers, 53, of Gaithersburg was shot while pumping gas at a gas station in Manassas. A Vietnam veteran, Meyers was a project manager in the Manassas, Va., office of Dewberry & Davis, a civil engineering firm. Friends and co-workers said he was soft-spoken, hardworking and thoughtful – someone who would help carry heavy packages and feed stray cats.

bridges sniper victim (AP)

Oct. 11, 2002

Kenneth Bridge, 53, of Philadelphia was killed while pumping gas off Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania County. He was a Philadelphia businessman and a father of six. He had co-founded an organization to promote black self-sufficiency. Neighbors remembered his friendliness and penchant for playing basketball with his children.

Oct. 14, 2002

franklin sniper victim (AP)

Linda Franklin, 47, of Arlington, Va. was shot loading her car in Fairfax County, Va. She worked for the FBI’s National Infrastructure Protection Center studying terror threats. A co-worker described her as a loving wife and mother who watched out for everyone in her family. In 2002, a friend said Franklin had undergone a double mastectomy following breast cancer and was still in physical therapy at the time of her death. At that time, she and her husband were planning to move to a bigger home.

Oct. 22, 2002

johnson (AP)

Conrad Johnson, 35 of Oxon Hill, Md, was a Montgomery County Ride-On bus driver. He was killed at daybreak in Montgomery County as he stood on the top steps of his bus. Johnson was a “joker who liked having a clean car and loved being outside with his sons,” friend Steve Addison said in 2002. Johnson, who was married with two sons, was a fervent football fan, weightlifter and “real family man.”

Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up