COLUMBUS House shooting linked to attacks on I-270; two buses hit by bullets

The bullet from the house was the seventh to be linked to the shootings.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Investigators linked a shooting at a house to a series of sniper attacks along a section of interstate highway three miles to the south, seemingly broadening the targeted area.
Meanwhile, a school district of about 20,000 pupils adjacent to Interstate 270 canceled all classes for today after investigators determined two school buses had been hit by bullets, officials said.
"We are uncertain of the exact location in which these incidents have occurred," South-Western City Schools Superintendent Kirk Hamilton said Wednesday night. "We are going to make every effort to ensure the safety of our students at all times."
Hamilton said officials will use the day off to inspect all of the Grove City district's 200 buses and confer with a task force investigating the sniper cases.
The Franklin County sheriff's office declined to comment on the bus shootings.
Chief Deputy Steve Martin said Wednesday investigators confirmed through ballistics tests that a bullet recovered from the house was fired by the same gun that killed a car passenger Nov. 25 on the highway that encircles the city.
The bullet was the seventh to be positively linked to the shootings. However, investigators believe 16 shootings reported since last May are connected.
Martin wouldn't speculate why a house three miles from where most of the shootings have occurred was targeted Monday.
"Many have speculated as to why the shooter or shooters may have selected the location where the latest incident took place," Martin said. "For now that remains unclear."
He said he had no reason to believe the occupants were targeted.
Martin said a man living in the house heard three shots about 12:30 a.m. Two bullet holes were found in the front of the house. A bullet was recovered from the bathroom.
Neighbor on alert
No one answered the door at the house Wednesday, and a womaxn who answered the telephone declined to comment. A neighbor said he heard three shots early Monday while he was watching television.
"I heard a boom -- maybe a second and a half and then another boom and then another boom," Harry Lilley said.
Lilley, 55, said he told his wife to stay calm, and he ran outside with his handgun to check it out.
"It was really loud, so I know it must have been close," he said. "My adrenaline was running a little high."
Lilley, who is retired from the Army, said the shooting has made him nervous.
"I'm on alert. I'll stay on alert," he said. "It's got me scared."
The task force was formed after the death of Gail Knisley, 62, of Washington Court House, who was being driven by a friend to a doctor's appointment.
The string of shootings began in May, but most occurred within the past two months.
A school, cars, trucks and vans also have been hit at varying times of the day and night.
The shooting at the house Monday was the third to be linked to the serial shootings since the death of Knisley, the only person struck in the shootings.
Asked whether the latest shooting broadened the targeted area, Martin said, "We continue to believe the person or persons are familiar with their surroundings."