VINELAND, N.J. - The city's police chief said his department has turned over information on a sniper-style shooting from earlier this year to the Maryland State Police.

Chief Mario Brunetta acknowledged that a connection between the Washington-area sniper attacks and the Jan. 10 shooting death of Tina Weaver Labriola was unlikely.

"It may be a long shot but under the circumstances, I don't think law enforcement can leave any stone unturned," Brunetta said.

Labriola's ex-boyfriend, William Severs Jr., has been charged with first-degree murder in her death, the chief said.

Police said Severs was angry over the breakup of his relationship and shot the Millville woman with a .243-caliber bolt action hunting rifle from a park across the street while she unloaded groceries.

Severs, 39, of Pittsgrove, left his gun and fled, Brunetta said.

Police traced Severs as far as Chincoteague, Va., a 165-mile drive from Washington, D.C., after the case was featured on the television show "America's Most Wanted," The Daily Journal of Vineland reported.

Since Oct. 2, there have been 11 shootings in Maryland, Virginia and Washington that have left nine people dead and two wounded. Each victim was cut down by a single bullet while going about everyday activities.

The sniper's bullet of choice has been a .223-caliber round.

Maj. Greg Shipley, a Maryland State Police spokesman, declined to say whether his agency was examining the Vineland case or any other shooting for similarities to the Washington-area shootings.