Official at forefront of information about DC sniper attacks

Charles Moose, who became known nationally for his role in informing the public during the Washington, D.C., sniper attacks 19 years ago, died Thursday at the age of 68 in his home, officials in Maryland’s Montgomery County said.

The Montgomery County Police Department announced in a Friday morning Facebook post that Moose’s wife shared news of her husband’s death, reported KOIN. No cause of death was given.

“We are extremely saddened by the news announcing the passing of former Chief Charles Moose,” said Montgomery County’s Chief, Marcus Jones. “He was a great leader and led our department through the DC Sniper investigation, one of the most difficult crime sprees in our country’s history. We send condolences to his wife Sandy and all of his family and friends.”

He gained national fame in October 2002, when he served as the national face of a multi-agency task force during three weeks of random shootings in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Ten people were killed.

John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were later convicted. Muhammad and Malvo were arrested in connection with the attacks on Oct. 24, 2002, following tips from alert citizens who noticed the pair’s blue Caprice — which had a sniper’s nest built into its trunk — at an I-70 rest stop in Frederick, Maryland.

The pair were convicted, and Muhammad was executed in Virginia in 2009. Malvo, who was 17 at the time of the killings, is serving multiple life sentences at a supermax prison in Virginia.

Moose earlier had been Portland, Oregon’s first Black police chief. He served as Portland police chief from 1993 to 1999. During that time he also taught at Portland State University, where he received a doctorate in urban studies and criminology.

“I feel connected to Chief Moose as he was the first African-American Chief, a champion of community policing and led the Bureau during challenging times,” Current Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell tweeted on Friday. “Chief Moose was a large presence and had a servant’s heart.”

In 1999, Moose made the move to his new job in Maryland, where he served until 2003.

AP FILE Seen here in the early stages of the sniper investigation, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose answers questions about five killings in the county. In the background is Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan.