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

[Inthedetails]

This has been on my mind as well. At this time, I feel like he was either capable of wiping his internet activity himself, or perhaps if another person radicalized him, they were able to instruct him (or access his computer themselves). This seems so atypical for a young white male shooter. Notoriety is usually a goal… IMO MOO

TC did indeed achieve notoriety. I'm stuck on his JFK school project and am wondering if the mystery around Lee Harvey Oswald influenced TC.

We all know the name of JFK's killer, but over the decades, there has been debate about what motivated him. We still talk about Oswald YEARS later - he's part of American history.

Maybe TC wanted a legacy like that.

jmo

 

[Cryptic]

Crooks had earned his associate degree in science from a local community college and graduated in May with high honors.

Geez, there goes my "profile". I was thinking that his background was going to read more like the Nashville religious school shooter:

- Mild, but not consuming opposition to the targeted group. mixed with....

- Drifting through life, failed out of school, current job lacks long term career potential, unlikely to develop skills/ personal discipline for long term career employment.

But... he graduated with honors in science from Junior College and had been accepted into a four year college.

 

[MassGuy]

Geez, there goes my "profile". I was thinking that his background was going to read more like the Nashville religious school shooter:

- Mild, but not consuming opposition to the targeted group. mixed with....

- Drifting through life, failed out of school, current job lacks long term career potential, unlikely to develop skills/ personal discipline for long term career employment.

But... he graduated with honors in science from Junior College and had been accepted into a four year college.

Exactly, he breaks the profile almost completely.

No known mental health issues.

No crazy posts online.

No manifesto.

No apparent trigger.

Not known to law enforcement.

Moving on with his education.

Stable job.

Coworkers seemed to really like him, and didn’t set off any alarm bells.

The only thing that fits is that he was a loner, but it’s not like that’s an incredible rarity.

 

[Inthedetails]

Geez, there goes my "profile". I was thinking that his background was going to read more like the Nashville religious school shooter:

- Mild, but not consuming opposition to the targeted group. mixed with....

- Drifting through life, failed out of school, current job lacks long term career potential, unlikely to develop skills/ personal discipline for long term career employment.

But... he graduated with honors in science from Junior College and had been accepted into a four year college.

Yes, I expected a "failure to launch" scenario, but he was doing okay. He earned his AA degree, seemed well-liked at his job, and was accepted to university. He was on his way! Why in the world did he stop himself in such a spectacular and destructive way??

He told the university in March he would not be attending in the fall (per link upthread). What happened in Feb/March?

jmo

 

[NuttMegg]

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.

I remember watching the night time, open air victory speech of Obama, in "iffy" Grant park, some 250k attendees iirc. 2008. Lots of talking heads discussing the bulletproof back and sides of the stage.

This type of protection for political rallies is known, available, transportable, the campaigns should invest.

When trump was shot, it was obviously from his right and behind. I thought immediately, oh, no protection at all for trump or all those ppl behind him. This should be considered a snafu on the same level as that of the agencies getting blamed. But a snafu by the organizers of the political event.

 

[MassGuy]

Yes, I expected a "failure to launch" scenario, but he was doing okay. He earned his AA degree, seemed well-liked at his job, and was excepted to university. He was on his way! Why in the world did he stop himself in such a spectacular and destructive way??

He told the university in March he would not be attending in the fall (per link upthread). What happened in Feb/March?

jmo

He was accepted to two, and told the other one that he would not be attending.

 

[Chimera]

Also wondering whether any keys were found on him ? Storage space, or 2nd vehicle waiting for get-away while LE busy attending to the wounded, etc?
Was the building's roof metal? How could his movement atop the roof not be heard by LE if they were positioned inside?

Bolding mine.

THIS ^^^^^
Unbelievable.
Omo.

 

[indicolite22]

Exactly, he breaks the profile almost completely.

No known mental health issues.

No crazy posts online.

No manifesto.

No apparent trigger.

Not known to law enforcement.

Moving on with his education.

Stable job.

Coworkers seemed to really like him, and didn’t set off any alarm bells.

The only thing that fits is that he was a loner, but it’s not like that’s an incredible rarity.

Even if he was a loner by choice, he was bullied in school. Perhaps he was building up resentment there. I'm surprised that he didn't retaliate against those who wronged him, but picked another target.

 

[Elley Mae]

There are multiple buildings where he shot from, they may have been in one on the other end.

 

[fred&edna]

If the shooter's mind-set was, "I'll show them". He did succeed in showing the fundamental failures in US SS protection... no matter what the perimeter size, and no matter who the "them" might have been.

jmo

 

[NuttMegg]

Even if he was a loner by choice, he was bullied in school. Perhaps he was building up resentment there. I'm surprised that he didn't retaliate against those who wronged him, but picked another target.

Do we know he was bullied in the 2 years of jr college, in addition to HS? Sounds like he was a solid achiever, that attracts respect once a person gets away from hs.
I'd tend to think an unfortunate unrequited love might have set him off, because, imo, someone who makes it to 20 with no friends can be inordinately upset if that one romance goes wrong. As weird as it may sound maybe there was a political affiliation in the mix.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

It's said he didn't have any friends, but what if there was someone who he thought liked him.
Maybe the person didn't even know of his feelings.
Then he realised that once again he was the boy in school being laughed at.

And it was the last straw.

And then the worm turned. He'd had enough. They'll all be sorry.

 

[Chimera]

Sniper weighs in on Trump assassination attempt

Dallas Alexander, who spent 14 years in a sniper team for the Canadian military, has weighed in on the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on Saturday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Dallas Alexander, who spent 14 years in a sniper team for the Canadian military doing close protection for major world leaders including the Canadian prime minister, suggested in a video Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who opened fire at the former president's rally Saturday night, may have had help from the inside.

Alexander says he should not have been able to get that close.
Emphasis mine.

Uncertain about the first bolded, however I don't think it's impossible.
My opinion is -- if he had help, we will never know ?

Absolutely agree with the second bolded !
Omo.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I'd tend to think an unfortunate unrequited love might have set him off, because, imo, someone who makes it to 20 with no friends can be inordinately upset if that one romance goes wrong. As weird as it may sound maybe there was a political affiliation in the mix.

I didn't see your post when I was writing mine. This is my thought now.
Unrequited love. Snap!

 

[Chimera]

There are multiple buildings where he shot from, they may have been in one on the other end.

Yep, that's possible.

I thought it was said they were positioned inside the building TC climbed on ?
I'll go back and check in the first thread.
Imo.
Omo.

 

[Inthedetails]

He was accepted to two, and told the other one that he would not be attending.

Aha. Thanks for that clarification.

Still the question, why in the world did he do this when it seems like his life was progressing in a good direction??

Will it ever make sense?

jmo

 

[MassGuy]

Sniper weighs in on Trump assassination attempt

Dallas Alexander, who spent 14 years in a sniper team for the Canadian military, has weighed in on the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on Saturday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Dallas Alexander, who spent 14 years in a sniper team for the Canadian military doing close protection for major world leaders including the Canadian prime minister, suggested in a video Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who opened fire at the former president's rally Saturday night, may have had help from the inside.

Alexander says he should not have been able to get that close.
Emphasis mine.

Uncertain about the first bolded, however I don't think it's impossible.
My opinion is -- if he had help, we will never know ?

Absolutely agree with the second bolded !
Omo.

I don’t think he had any help at all. He’d need multiple people from multiple organizations in on it.

People risking their careers for a strange guy who couldn’t shoot straight.

It’s all explained by poor planning, a lack of resources, and staggering incompetence.

 

[NuttMegg]

It's said he didn't have any friends, but what if there was someone who he thought liked him.
Maybe the person didn't even know of his feelings.
Then he realised that once again he was the boy in school being laughed at.

And it was the last straw.

And then the worm turned. He'd had enough. They'll all be sorry.

I buy that.
Or, maybe there is an undocumented immigrant friend who he was afraid would be sent back.

 

[Seattle1]

Nursing aide turned sniper: Thomas Crooks' mysterious plot to kill Trump

The mystery of how a cook at a nursing home became a would-be assassin of Donald Trump is the subject of intense investigation and public shock.

www.usatoday.com

7/14/24

Nursing aide turned sniper: Thomas Crooks' mysterious plot to kill Trump​

None of Crooks' shocked neighbors or high school classmates described him as violent or that he in any way signaled he was intent on harming Trump. Sunday morning, reporters and curious locals swarmed the leafy streets of the home where Crooks lived with his parents in Bethel Park, about 50 miles from the shooting scene.

Those who knew him described a quiet young man who often walked to work at a nearby nursing home. One classmate said he was bullied and often ate alone in high school.

[..]

Neighbor Dean Sierka, 52, has known Crooks and his parents for years. The families live a few doors apart on a winding suburban street, and Sierka’s daughter, who attended elementary, middle and high school with Crooks, remembers him as quiet and shy. Sierka said they saw Crooks at least once a week, often when he was walking to the nursing home from his parents' three-bedroom brick house.

"You wouldn’t have expected this," Sierka said. "The parents and the family are all really nice people."

"It's crazy," he added.

[..]

Secret Service role: Did they do enough?​

In the days before the event, the agency's experts would have scouted the location, identified security vulnerabilities, and designed a perimeter to keep Trump and rally attendees safe. Congress and the Secret Service are now investigating how Crooks was able to get so close to the former president, and several witnesses reported seeing him in the area with the gun before Trump took the stage.

As the event doors opened at 1 p.m., the temperature was already pushing close to 90, and ticketed attendees oozed through metal detectors run by members of the Secret Service's uniformed division. Similar to airport security screenings, rallygoers emptied their pockets to prove they weren't carrying guns or other weapons.

Media reports indicate the Secret Service had in place, as usual, a counter-sniper team scanning the surrounding area for threats.

[..]

 

[Sarahlou]

He picked the biggest bully.

I hadn't thought of it like that, but you're right!