Washington, Oct 20: A man was shot and wounded in a parking lot outside a restaurant in a Virginia town located 145 km south of the US capital on Saturday night, but authorities said they did not know whether the incident was linked to the sniper murder spree in the Washington area. Authorities said a man was shot with single bullet outside a Ponderosa Steakhouse restaurant in Ashland, Virginia, and was transported to a local trauma centre for treatment. Officials said he was undergoing surgery at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.

Ashland is located about 25 km north of Richmond, Virginia. Since October 2, an elusive sniper has killed nine people in Washington and neighbouring Maryland and Virginia and wounded two others, picking off victims at random with a single bullet from a high-powered rifle. Police could not confirm if the nighttime shooting was related to the other shootings.
Bureau Report