PA - Assassination attempt, shooting injures former POTUS Donald Trump, leaves 1 spectator deceased two in critical condition, 13 July 2024 #2

[Cryptic]

What is a rangefinder and what would TC be doing with this when observed by snipers?

As @MassGuy said, its used to find the range to the target.

An experienced marksman then applies the range to compensate for the bullet drop, possible wind effect, and in super long range / ultra sophisticated shooting, the coreolis effect from the earth's spin (spinning earth causes target to move while bullet travels).

But.... in this case, I think the range finder was far more amateur "looks cool, and the movie guys always have one" than needed. Horribly, the would be assassin was way too close to the target to need to worry much about bullet drop etc.

Though it can be said that it was a "good" thing he thought he needed one as it gave the security more time to notice something was strange.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

"He didn't just not make the team, he was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was,

Maybe the thinking was "I'll show them"

 

[Elley Mae]

Posted this a bit ago, it won’t let me post the paragraph that says his father called to say his rifle and son were missing. Not sure what time.

Inside what Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks did in the 24 hours before rally shooting

Thomas Matthew Crooks ran a series of errands in the day before he opened fire at the Butler Farm Show grounds.

nypost.com

 

[formerlyme]

I’m watching local KDKA news. Someone was seen going into the shooter’s home with a suitcase. Whoever it was wouldn’t answer the reporter. One neighbor let media from 3 countries sit on her porch when it rained tonight. Another neighbor is worried about people retaliating against the neighborhood since shooter’s motives not yet known. He says he hopes their neighborhood isn’t known forever only by this.

I am sure that the parents have friends and family coming to be with them through this.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I am sure that the parents have friends and family coming to be with them through this.

I hope they do

 

[formerlyme]

A rangefinder gives you the distance between where you are and where your target is. They're commonly used by hunters.

can this also act as a monocular? we keep one in our car to look at things (think binoculars but one) and I think it may not be viewed as odd at events like concerts where the stage is far away... ?

 

[NuttMegg]

It wasn't the purchase of the ammo itself, it was who was buying it for what type of firearm and the local political scene of the day and all the next week.

What state or local government traces "who" is buying ammo for which kind of firearm? On which day of week, locality? Think of the burden on shopkeepers, local gov, etc, trying to profile then flag casual ammo sales. Do we know that he bought the ammo 40 miles away, near his residence, or near the rally? How far out, in distance, time frame, should sales be monitored, flagged, investigated, sent to a centralized database. Where? Can we imagine the funding necessary. Maybe, at 20, he shouldn't have been allowed to buy that ammo anyway. Ie preventative laws, not trying to use so many fingers to plug a hundred holes in the dam.

 

[aaron44]

can this also act as a monocular? we keep one in our car to look at things (think binoculars but one) and I think it may not be viewed as odd at events like concerts where the stage is far away... ?

I read somewhere that the Secret Service uses a laser to scan the area to detect rangefinders and/or binoculars. Must use the reflection off the glass lens. If the sun is directly in front there maybe a reflection that identifies the position. Not sure why they didn't see him with this tool?

 

[Elley Mae]

What state or local government traces "who" is buying ammo for which kind of firearm? On which day of week, locality? Think of the burden on shopkeepers, local gov, etc, trying to profile then flag casual ammo sales. Do we know that he bought the ammo 40 miles away, near his residence, or near the rally? How far out, in distance, time frame, should sales be monitored, flagged, investigated, sent to a centralized database. Where? Can we imagine the funding necessary. Maybe, at 20, he shouldn't have been allowed to buy that ammo anyway. Ie preventative laws, not trying to use so many fingers to plug a hundred holes in the dam.

Ammo purchase is local to his home, bethel park.
Allegany arms and ammo.

 

[MassGuy]

can this also act as a monocular? we keep one in our car to look at things (think binoculars but one) and I think it may not be viewed as odd at events like concerts where the stage is far away... ?

It can look a bit like one, but doesn’t act like one. Most rangefinders look like binoculars but turned vertically instead of horizontally.

 

[photoprose1122]

I could see that. If it was in fact him, I think one of two things was going on.

He thought about sneaking explosives in (the gun would have been out of the question).

He was attempting to figure out where Trump would be, so he could find the best place to shoot from.

Yeah good point - scoping Trump’s location is a likely scenario.

LE’s bomb as a distraction theory doesn’t sit quite right with me… if he did indeed intend to use it that way as LE has theorized, it wouldn’t be a good way to get a shot off at Trump. As soon as the bomb went off he’d be down for cover and swarmed with SS. I just personally think he had other plans for it.

 

[MassGuy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1813233332911517916

 

[Cryptic]

Maybe the thinking was "I'll show them"

Given the apparent near lack of political sentiments, let alone strong ones, I think your 'Occam's razor' idea could be right.

Even his use of a range finder (James Bondish given that it was not needed?) might indicate an extension of your idea: "Look how meticulous.... and lethal I really am!!!"

 

[MassGuy]

Gunman planned to attend local 4-year university this fall​

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old suspected gunman, planned to attend Robert Morris University this fall, according to a school spokesperson.

<modsnip: copyright> MORE AT LINK…

Injured victim shot in chest, liver; out of medically induced coma

abcnews.go.com

 

[NuttMegg]

Ammo purchase is local to his home, bethel park.
Allegany arms and ammo.

Thanks, that was my point. How can ammo sales be used for profiling and intent.

Do we know yet if the weapons of the father were under lock and key? Rhetorical question.

 

[CADwrest]

Interesting article on SS procedures/failures from a former agent:

MSN

 

[formerlyme]

Given the apparent near lack of political sentiments, let alone strong ones, I think your 'Occam's razor' idea could be right.

Even his use of a range finder (James Bondish given that it was not needed?) might indicate an extension of your idea: "Look how meticulous.... and lethal I really am!!!"

wondering if his attempts at the team were to connect with his father who owns several guns.

 

[nerosleuth]

The shooting incident that occurred at the rally event has me wondering if future outdoor rally events held by politicians will become a thing of the past.

We know that when President Kennedy was shot in November 1963 at Dallas, Texas, his motorcade didn't have a covered roof that day. Then afterwards all presidential motorcades had covered roofs on the motorcade vehicles.

 

[Elley Mae]

“I think all law enforcement on site did everything that they could, especially the local law enforcement,” Slupe told The Associated Press on Monday. “I hope they’re not made a scapegoat, because they did their job to the best of their abilities.”

Butler Township Manager Tom Knights said the officer lost his grip and was not retreating when he fell 8 feet to the ground.

“He was literally dangling from the edge of a building and took the defensive position he needed to at that time. He couldn’t hold himself up,” Knights said.

The officer, who has 10 years of experience in law enforcement, severely injured an ankle in the fall and was in a walking boot, Knights said.

Signs of trouble at Trump rally were evident in minutes before gunman opened fire

Investigators are trying to painstakingly piece together how an armed man with no military background managed to reach high ground and get the jump on teams of Secret Service agents.

www.wtae.com

 

[MassGuy]

The shooting incident that occurred at the rally event has me wondering if future outdoor rally events held by politicians will become a thing of the past.

We know that when President Kennedy was shot in November 1963 at Dallas, Texas, his motorcade didn't have a covered roof that day. Then afterwards all presidential motorcades had covered roofs on the motorcade vehicles.

If this wasn’t entirely preventable, I’d say yes. It took an incredible amount of incompetence for this to be allowed to happen though, so I think the lessons learned and changes made will result in these events continuing.