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Morning News

Apparent Suicide Note Found at Home of White House Shooter

Aired February 8, 2001 - 10:00 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, that shooting came near the White House -- is what we begin with this hour this morning. The drama unfolded around 11:30 yesterday morning, when gunshots rang out on the South Lawn of the White House near the southwest gate. Secret Service agents moved in and surrounded the alleged gunman, who was identified as 47-year-old Robert Pickett. Police say that when the suspect refused to drop his weapon, he was shot in the knee by a member of the Secret Service emergency response team. Pickett is now hospitalized; he is in serious condition.

Authorities are now following a trail of clues to Pickett's hometown of Evansville, Indiana; that is where we find our national correspondent Mike Boettcher this morning -- Mike.

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, the police tape is down and the police have left with box-loads of evidence; they did that last night. Inside the house they found a computer hard drive, some papers, some audio cassettes; but nothing unusual, they said. No weapon, nothing to indicate motive.

But overnight something did emerge: a letter written by Robert Pickett on February 2 and sent to the commissioner of the IRS. Also CCed in that letter were President Bush, the attorney general, members of the Indiana Senate and House delegation.

And let me quote from this letter that authorities say appears to be a suicide note. It reads: "You are guilty of murder. Your predecessors made decisions which killed an innocent man. Your office allowed IRS officials to deliberately make false statements to a federal court." He goes on to write: "I cannot describe the emotional pain I live with constantly. Narrow-minded people have refused to accept that I have a mental illness on the basis I do not display the preconceived symptoms and have rational intelligence. With proper assistance and support, I could have overcome my handicap."

Now, friends and clients of Mr. Pickett's accounting business say that he often spoke about what he said were injustices by the IRS in firing him in the late 1980s. One of those people was a former client of his, and has been a client for the last 12 years. His name is Steve Yurks; Mr. Yurks says that Robert Pickett would open up a bit and then close down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEVE YURKS, SUSPECT'S FRIEND: He was fairly jovial. He likes to know what's going on around, you know, things of that nature. But just -- just a little different. You know, that you could definitely see there -- you could get to Robert to a certain extent, and then the wall would come down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOETTCHER: The last anyone saw him here was on Friday. His Sunday paper still sits on the front porch. This neighborhood is gradually getting back to normal after police have left, but it's been quite an experience for this neighborhood. They did not expect this.

Mike Boettcher, CNN live, Evansville, Indiana.

HARRIS: Thanks much, Mike.

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