"She's doing wonderfully," a family friend of the 43-year-old Spotsylvania victim said this evening. "We're so pleased with her care and her recovery."

Meanwhile, state and federal agents today issued a challenge to the sniper who has killed six and wounded two in Maryland, Washington and Spotsylvania over the last six days.

At a news briefing in Rockville, Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening called the killer a coward and said he should surrender before anyone else is hurt.

The sniper shot five people dead in Montgomery County, Md., in a 17-hour period starting last Wednesday. The gunman struck again Friday afternoon at the Michaels Arts and Crafts off State Route 3, wounding the mother of two. A 13-year-old boy was shot outside his middle school in Bowie, Md., yesterday. The boy remained in critical condition today at Children's Hospital.

Authorities today said a shell casing was found near the scene of that shooting and ballistics tests are underway. Officials released little else about the massive investigation today, but said they are studying more than 1,200 viable leads.

A reward fund for information about the killer jumped from $50,000 yesterday to more than $237,000 today, with donations pouring in from around the country.