Hi, crime junkies. I'm your host Ashley Flowers. And the story I have for you today is a little different because Brit isn't going to help me tell it.

But that's because I have a super special surprise for you. A couple of months ago, I got a call from the FBI. Yeah, like the FBI. It's a crime junkies dream, right?

They wanted to partner on an extra special episode. And yeah, it feels like a trap, but it was one that I was more than willing to walk into because how many times do you get invited to go to FBI headquarters and interview one of their agents.

So without further ado, I have a special guest and together we're going to tell you about the biggest case of his career.

My name is Kevin Lewis. I was in the FBI for over 25 years and doing that tenure. I had the well at the time I was the was called the Special Assistant Special Agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore office, Baltimore Field Office.

And with that within that field office, we have responsibility for the entire state of Maryland and Delaware. And in the course of that in October of 2002, we had a there was a series of shootings that took place over in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Unusual in the sense that the first ones there was no victims. Then subsequently in the matter of a matter of several hours, there were several victims.

Kevin Lewis, of course, is talking about the case that is infamously known as the DC sniper case. And the reason we're talking to retired special agent Kevin Lewis and telling you this story now is because there is a very monumentous event coming up on November 8, 2019.

Actually, this year's marks the 100th year since the first African American came in as a special agent with the FBI. Back in 1919, they weren't called special agents and they weren't called federal Bureau of investigation. But that was the basis of what brought us here today. And over the years it became the FBI and we became special agents.

James Wormley Jones broke the color barrier for African Americans at the highest level of American law enforcement and paved the way for generations to come. The FBI is culminating their year long celebration with a gala this month designed to celebrate the past and embrace a more diverse future.

And in doing so, they asked for our help to tell you just one of the many cases that were solved by the African American agents on the ground. So many times the people we see at the press conferences and on TV don't reflect the true diversity of those who are working behind the scenes to bring justice.

Retired special agent Kevin Lewis was one of the key personnel responsible for solving the DC sniper case and today he's going to help me tell you about how.

On October 2nd, 2002 in Aspen Hill, Maryland and Chapman is standing at her register at a Michael's craft store in Montgomery County. It's about 520 on a Wednesday afternoon and she's going about her normal duties, bringing up customers, chatting with her co workers.

When suddenly a bullet comes barreling through the front window right into the store, the shot barely misses hitting her and eventually lodges itself into a picture frame.

Now Ann is understandably shaken up but since no one is hurt she and her co workers kind of just sank their lucky stars and pass the whole thing off as a terrifying accident.

A little over an hour later and just a few miles away from the Michaels 55 year old James Martin is on his way to an event at church. He decides to stop off at a grocery store in Wheaton, Maryland to run some errands.

Another shot rings out and this time the bullet finds its target killing James. Now at the time no one made the connection to the bullet that just missed Ann over at Michaels.

But the next day though on the morning of Thursday October 3rd, all hell breaks loose. At 7.41 am James Buchanan is shot and killed in Rockville while he's out landscaping.

At first witnesses thought maybe it's just an accident like maybe something happened with his equipment that like backfired but then they see the gunshot wound and realize the horrible truth.

At 8.12 am, Prem Kumar Wallacher is shot and killed in Aspen Hill while he fills up his taxi at a local gas station. Then at 8.37, Sarah Raymos is shot and killed in Norbeck while she waits for her ride to work.

It's at this scene that a witness report seeing a white box fan or truck fleeing the scene and they report that to police.

At 9.58 am, Laurie Ann Lewis Rivera is shot and killed in Kensington. With all of these shots in quick succession, the smaller restrictions local law enforcement is overwhelmed as the bodies pile up and their resources are stretched thin.

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