Sniper

- Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose on Sunday said a message had been left for authorities at the restaurant Saturday night and asked the person who left it to contact law enforcement. ''To the person who left us a message at the Ponderosa last night. You gave us a telephone number. We do want to talk to you. Call us at the number you provided. Thank you,'' he said. Moose, who asked that the …

…shootings. A source close to the investigation, however, said Sunday that ''it has nothing to do with this case.'' The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, would not confirm reports that the shell was .30-caliber, a different size from the sniper's bullets, but said: ''It's got caliber problems, it's got age problems.'' The shell casing was found in a car seized at a rental agency near Dulles International Airport in Virginia, authorities said.