Phillip Dowd

"Better be a head shot. I got this [rifle] on full-auto. Anything less, I go down squeezin' the trigger."

Phillip Dowd was a killer sniper, officially called a "Long Distance Serial Killer", who appeared in Season One of Criminal Minds.

History
At the age of eighteen, Phillip joined the military, possibly as a medic, attending Ranger School and serving for six years before being dishonorably discharged in 1995 for conduct unbecoming. After his discharge, Phillip joined the Arlington Police Department, but was fired after nine months for lying about his army discharge. Eventually, Phillip began working as an ER nurse, getting a job in Des Plaines, Illinois, occasionally picking up shifts in other hospitals in the area as well. In 2005, Phillip, using his military training, started non-lethally sniping random people so he could save them later, his first victim being a man in a mall parking lot, who unintentionally died due to the paramedics being unable to get to the scene in time. Unfazed by the man's death, Phillip shot two young men in a community centre parking lot nine days later, then three park goers four days after that, the park shooting being the one which prompted the local police into calling in the BAU.

Two days after the attack at the park, Phillip shoots another three people, a couple and a waiter at a diner. Later, when the BAU and local police are in the midst of recreating the park shooting, Phillip observes from his van, shooting Officer Scott McCarty in the head when he is arrested under suspicion of being the unsub (in reality, McCarty had only leaked information to the media). Phillip is eventually tracked down to a hospital, where he briefly speaks to Hotch and Reid, who are asking to see a doctor, who is a suspect in the case. Thinking the authorities are on to him, Phillip at first tries to escape the hospital, but realizes it is impossible due to the police swarming the building. Going to his locker, Phillip grabs his rifle and returns to the lobby, rifle butting Reid, shooting out the power and disarming the guard and Hotch. Realizing Phillip intends to commit suicide by cop and dozens of people could be killed in the crossfire, Hotch begins gaining his trust, giving him advice on what to do and pretending to hate Reid. Convincing Phillip to let him beat Reid, Hotch begins kicking him, allowing Reid to grab the gun in his ankle holster, with Phillip realizing too late that Hotch had another gun. Just as he raises his rifle, Phillip is shot in the head by Reid, killing him instantly. But Reid says he was aiming for his leg.

Profile
The unsub is a 30- to 40-year-old male veteran who drives a car large enough to shoot from, but also small enough to not be noticed, probably a sedan, customized to conceal the shooter, his weapon, and the sound of his shot. The unsub suffers from both narcissistic and paranoid personality disorders. He works out obsessively, never goes without a weapon, is completely self-centered, and cannot empathize with others. Incapable of admitting fault, he blames this shortcomings on those around him. Furthermore, he has no friends and his career history has been marked by frequent job changes. He is drawn to high-stakes jobs due to a need to prove his superiority to a world he perceives has undervalued him. The shootings are the ultimate expression of that need. He changes jurisdictions intentionally and strikes during the first and second shift changes, indicating an intimate knowledge of law enforcement, meaning he is or used to be a police officer or was a military veteran.

It should be noted that Dowd was not officially a serial killer at all, as he only killed two people, though he is referred to as a long distance serial killer by the team.

Modus Operandi
Phillip committed his shooting with an M-4 assault rifle, which requires skill to snipe with, and used .223-caliber rounds, which fragment on impact. The shootings were committed in broad daylight in public places, which Phillip visited the night before to find the perfect elevated position to fire from, one which would have a wide field of fire and access to something (such as a flag) that would allow Phillip to be able to judge wind resistance and speed. The shots were fired from the back of Phillip's van, which had a retractable licenses plate; firing from a vehicle allotted cover and a quick getaway. While Phillip was a skilled sniper, he only inflicted normally non-fatal shots to the stomach, so he could help his victims later in his job as an ER nurse.

Known Victims

 * 2005:
 * October 18: The shopping mall parking lot shooting: Henry Sachs
 * October 27: Two injured at the community center parking lot shooting:
 * Doug Miller
 * Kevin Parks
 * October 31: Three injured at the first park shooting. They are:
 * Jerry Middleton
 * Tim Reilly
 * Kate Murray
 * November 2:
 * Three injured at the diner shooting. They are:
 * An unnamed couple
 * An unnamed waiter
 * The second park shooting: Officer Scott McCarty
 * Held the following hostage at the local hospital and intended to get them killed in a crossfire:
 * Aaron Hotchner
 * Spencer Reid
 * Keith
 * Numerous unnamed hospital employees and patients
 * Note: Hotch states that Phillip shot eleven people (excluding Officer McCarty), but L.D.S.K. clearly shows nine people being shot by him instead.

Appearances

 * Season One
 * "L.D.S.K."