JOHNSON... emigrated to the United States in 1978

ASPEN HILL, Maryland, USA -- A Jamaican-born bus driver was shot and killed early yesterday in what American police were treating as the latest attack by a sniper who has slain nine other people in the Washington area this month.

Conrad Johnson, a 35 year-old father of two, was shot as he stood at the top of the steps of the bus shortly before 6:00 am, Montgomery County police said. Johnson was born in May Pen, Clarendon and emigrated to the United States in 1978.

Yesterday, Johnson's mother, Sonia Wills, who also lives in the United States, described her son as "a lovely human being who loved to help others" and as "the light of the life of his children, his wife and his family".

"His work on earth was done and so God took him," Wills said.

The location of Johnson's murder, 15 miles (24 kilometres) north of downtown Washington, is less than a half-mile from where the rampage began October 2. In all, 12 people have been shot by the sniper in Maryland, Virginia and Washington -- three were critically wounded.

"We remain concerned about the safety of all the people in our region," Police Chief Charles Moose said yesterday.

"We realise that the person or the people involved in this have shown a clear willingness and ability to kill people of all ages, all races, all genders, all professions, different times, different days and different locations," he said.

Police put a widespread dragnet into place, clogging traffic on Connecticut Avenue, one of the main arteries into Washington, just as the morning commute began.

Johnson, a 10-year county employee, had been taken to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. Family members, including a brother visiting from Texas, was at the hospital when Johnson was pronounced dead.

Yesterday, Jamaica's ambassador to the United States, Seymour Mullings, extended condolences to Johnson's family and pledged the embassy's "full support" as they deal with "this shocking tragedy".

The shooting happened near an apartment building and wooded area along Connecticut Avenue. The bus was parked at a staging area where drivers get ready for their morning runs, state police spokesman Corporal Rob Moroney said. He didn't know if anyone else was on the bus.

Agents for the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms combed the area. A police dog searched near a basketball court in a park, and police helicopters flew over the scene.

"I was getting ready to leave for work this morning. I heard a loud bang," said Kim Roberts, a carpenter who lives nearby. "It wasn't a pop like a handgun. If it was a gun, it was a high-powered weapon." He said he knew about the sound of weapons from his military service.

Police closed roads around the shooting scene and set up roadblocks at points along the Capital Beltway. Teams of officers were stopping all cars driven by men, not just white minivans or box trucks which have been the focus of earlier sniper shootings. By late morning, the roadblocks were largely being lifted.

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