US - Shots fired at Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania as former president is seen with blood across his face, 13 July 2024

[GRT]

I'm starting to think a big part of the problem was lack of coordinated communication between the various agencies.

(Of course the biggest problem was a person willing to use violence.)

jmo

And, willing to die, I think...

moo

 

[GRT]

If this is true, then makes me think too many cooks in the kitchen. If there WAS Secret Service and local and specialized local and Trumps private security, who was responsible for what, and did they all think someone else had those roofs being watched outside the venue?

That makes me wonder if SS thought the shooter was on someone else's security team. Until he shot, of course. It will be interesting to see what comes of the inquiry.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Secret Service, you had ONE JOB

Secret service works with other LE agencies so we don't know where the failure was. IMO we should hold off pointing fingers until they do their investigations to determine what went wrong.

 

[lonetraveler]

An organized attack by a group of trained individuals would have likely succeeded at this rally. JMO.

I totally agree with you.

 

[margarita25]

It was cool to see all those women secret service agents, jmo.

 

[Gemmie]

So authorities spotted him while he was still on the ground (where was his gun???) and were concerned enough to keep on eye on him.

Then what happened? How did he slip out of sight? And, I repeat, where was the gun during all this?

And how did he know how to scale the building and get to the roof? Did he practice and if so, when?

jmo

Could he have left it on the roof days prior so as not to be seen with it the day of the event? That would be the smart thing to do, and not walk into a rally holding an assault rifle if you want to get at least one shot off.

 

[SMK777]

Could he have left it on the roof days prior so as not to be seen with it the day of the event? That would be the smart thing to do, and not walk into a rally holding an assault rifle if you want to get at least one shot off.

True, but wouldn’t rooftops be checked and under surveillance before a big presidential election rally? Really seems lax to me….

 

[indicolite22]

NEW: Thomas Crooks was rejected from the Bethel Park high school rifle team, per CBS News
A former member of the team who graduated with Crooks said he tried out freshman year. “He never returned to tryouts for the remainder of high school.”
Classmate said Crooks was a bad shot.
“He was not a member of the rifle team, he did not make even the junior varsity team after trying out freshman year. He never returned to tryouts for the remainder of high school.”

https://www.facebook.com/MeghanSchillerKDKA/posts/pfbid02FzGNoYevVWtDYcJswJTnMMeurFVxZ2wySkRrz1cxYptFrf5HeE3baFXaqbKTTGuCl

 

[MassGuy]

Could he have left it on the roof days prior so as not to be seen with it the day of the event? That would be the smart thing to do, and not walk into a rally holding an assault rifle if you want to get at least one shot off.

Witnesses said yesterday that they watched him cross an open field carrying a rifle.

 

[fred&edna]

Secret Service was still the lead on protection, though. The shooter should have never had access to the roof in the first place. And determining that perimeter and ensuring proper protocols are in place, even if relying heavily on local LE, were still the responsibility of the Secret Service.

Imo.

ITA.

I feel it's still on the SS to oversee total security and making sure everyone understands their job responsibilities and everyone works together.

jmo

 

[ReadySet]

Melanie’s full statement:

I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans.

We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.

When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron's life, were on the brink of a devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.

To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.

A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald's passion - this laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband's life - his human side - were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.

Le us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment - until death - is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings.

We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness and empathy re necessities.

And let us remember that when the time comes to loo beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm.

“Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.

This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.

I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans.

The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide - thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”

I find this very interesting. The word choices and phrases are interesting.

 

[Cool Cats]

True, but wouldn’t rooftops be checked and under surveillance before a big presidential election rally? Really seems lax to me….

Yes. A 10 year old could do it.

 

[clorenc]

If the LE sniper had eyes on him and was waiting... what was he waiting on? Confirmation to shoot?

Based on the pics we’ve seen, the roof appears to have some kind of ledge or gutter that could have partially obstructed the snipers’ view, depending on their angle. They may have spotted him — especially if there was commotion from the officer trying to climb up — but the rifle might have been obscured.



Even with eyes on him, I don’t think they can just shoot any potentially unarmed person — he could’ve been an attendee trying to get a better view, or a photographer. Or can you imagine if they shot some kid who had gotten away from his parents and was just goofing around climbing on roofs??

Seems that they got him just moments after he lifted his weapon to shoot.

Tough job.

I’m no expert, but I imagine the blame will fall on the lack of planning, preparation, searching, and securing — not on the snipers.

 

[indicolite22]

I find this very interesting. The word choices and phrases are interesting.

I'm sure she has a team that put it together.

 

[su5ie]

That's actually very nice!

Wow if that was Melaina speaking her own words from her heart she has amazing insight and is a very intelligent person I think we do sometimes forget that our politicians have mums ,dad's, siblings, possibly children and are human like the rest of us I wonder will trump get a wake up call after this with how much he interacts with his supporters

 

[clorenc]

I find this very interesting. The word choices and phrases are interesting.

As an editor, I can say that while the messages are nice, the whole thing is pretty awkwardly written. Sounds like it was written by AI, or that it was translated to English.

I’d think she’d have better writers, but maybe she doesn’t care so much about her statements sounding perfect.

 

[BenjaminJAndersonAlly]

It was cool to see all those women secret service agents, jmo.

Director of SS is also a woman:

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-rally-incident/card/who-is-secret-service-director-kimberly-cheatle--j6ehEE3sxOK6JOvM5ItC

 

[justtrish]

Wow. Wild.

So two things here. A failure by the officer to engage, while it also explains why this guy potentially missed; he was rushed.

Not long before shots rang out, rallygoers noticed a man climbing to the roof of a nearby building and warned local police, according to two law enforcement officials.

One local police officer climbed to the roof and encountered Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer retreated down the ladder, and Crooks quickly took a shot toward Trump, and that’s when Secret Service snipers shot him, said the officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Local officer encountered gunman just before he shot toward Trump at rally, sources tell AP

Sources tell The Associated Press that a local law enforcement officer encountered the gunman moments before he fired toward former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.

apnews.com

While I think that officer was brave and I don't blame any specific officer for not preventing this, I do think it's a massive failure by the SS. No way anyone evil or friend should have been able to climb on that roof or any roof anywhere close to this event. Imagine if this was the sitting president. I'm willing to wager a good guess that this would not happen because the SS guarding the President would never allow anyone to be on a roof anywhere close enough to get a shot at the President.

 

[Cindizzi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812554961227571399

 

[MassGuy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812571548730937411