October 25, 2002


A letter left by the snipers behind a Virginia Ponderosa restaurant, the site of one of the non-fatal shootings, contained mysterious markings and what were described as Jamaican colloquialisms. One of the suspects in the sniper killings is from Jamaica.

Drawn on the page were five stars, which some investigators thought was a reference to a Jamaican band. But there does not appear to be any Jamaican band named Five Star. The letter also contained the phrase "word is bond." An Internet search links the phrase to a black militant rap group, Killarmy, a band discovered by Wu-Tang Clan, a favorite in Jamaica.

One of their songs, "Five Stars," speaks of "bullets penetrating. Deep like the assassination that almost killed Reagan." The song also mentions snipers. The phrase "word is bond" appears in the group's song "Wake Up."

Killarmy has come under fire from critics who have chastised the group's violent message. In many songs, they speak of a racial war and their support for "racial Armageddon." Band members have roles such as "Marksman Assassin of Killarmy" and "Street Specialist Trained in Urban Warfare."