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

[sds71]

The Pennsylvania State Police have released the names of the three attendees shot during the attempted assassination of former President Trump. The deceased victim was identified as Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, PA. The second victim has been identified as 57-year-old David Dutch, of New Kensington, PA, who is currently listed in stable condition. The third victim was identified as 74-year-old James Copenhaver, of Moon Township, PA. He is also listed in stable condition.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812565524305322045

 

[CrimeDawg123]

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

Keep in mind it is doubtful any of these eloquent musings we are hearing now have actually been written by them.

 

[MassGuy]

I was in the FBI, here's who I suspect is to blame for Trump shooting

What the hell happened - and how was it possible? These questions will be at the heart of the FBI investigation in the lead-up up to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

www.dailymail.co.uk

During 25 years with the FBI, I have seen how countless similar rallies were organised and I consider it highly likely that the Secret Service was responsible for security within an enclosed perimeter, while the local police took charge of the wider zone outside.

Responsibility for every post, every zone, every rooftop needs to be clearly assigned and this division of roles should have been clear to everyone.

This is standard practice for the Secret Service. It's carried out at hundreds of events during the run-up to an election but it's also potentially new territory for each local police department.

But why did that sniper ignore Crooks till then? One plausible explanation is that the Secret Service (which is entirely separate from the FBI) assumed the assassin was a police sniper, part of their security team.

That implies serious failures in communication. When it comes to planning for events such as this, I would expect police and Secret Service teams to not only meet and introduce themselves but map out their specific roles in detail. They ought to have been able to recognise each other by sight.

They should also have double-checked at every stage throughout the rally, ensuring they knew who everybody was and what they were doing. That's just basic.

In the coming days and weeks, the agency will reconstruct every detail of the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, using witness statements, CCTV and media video, as well as amateur footage shot on phones by members of the public.

 

[RANCH]

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.

I wont judge her message too harshly. English isn't her native language.

Melania Trump was born on April 26, 1970 in Slovenia.

Melania Trump – The White House

trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov

 

[acutename]

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

there are a lot of game lands and ranges in western PA so possibly this guy did not look really out of place until it was almost too late

 

[Cool Cats]

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

We flew across the country with young kids only a month after 9-11. Hollywood big shots playing with guns were too afraid to fly.

The point of terrorists is to terrify and paralyze a country into hiding, scared of their own shadows.

Disney was great! No waiting in lines. Air safety was fantastic.

Stand up to evil.

 

[SMK777]

I was in the FBI, here's who I suspect is to blame for Trump shooting

What the hell happened - and how was it possible? These questions will be at the heart of the FBI investigation in the lead-up up to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

www.dailymail.co.uk

During 25 years with the FBI, I have seen how countless similar rallies were organised and I consider it highly likely that the Secret Service was responsible for security within an enclosed perimeter, while the local police took charge of the wider zone outside.

Responsibility for every post, every zone, every rooftop needs to be clearly assigned and this division of roles should have been clear to everyone.

This is standard practice for the Secret Service. It's carried out at hundreds of events during the run-up to an election but it's also potentially new territory for each local police department.

But why did that sniper ignore Crooks till then? One plausible explanation is that the Secret Service (which is entirely separate from the FBI) assumed the assassin was a police sniper, part of their security team.

That implies serious failures in communication. When it comes to planning for events such as this, I would expect police and Secret Service teams to not only meet and introduce themselves but map out their specific roles in detail. They ought to have been able to recognise each other by sight.

They should also have double-checked at every stage throughout the rally, ensuring they knew who everybody was and what they were doing. That's just basic.

In the coming days and weeks, the agency will reconstruct every detail of the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, using witness statements, CCTV and media video, as well as amateur footage shot on phones by members of the public.

“But why did that sniper ignore Crooks till then? One plausible explanation is that the Secret Service (which is entirely separate from the FBI) assumed the assassin was a police sniper, part of their security team.”

At least this explains it.

 

[clorenc]

I wont judge her message too harshly. English isn't her native language.

Melania Trump – The White House

trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov

No I don’t judge her, just her writers.

But maybe the intention was to sound genuine, not necessarily polished.

 

[fred&edna]

I was in the FBI, here's who I suspect is to blame for Trump shooting

What the hell happened - and how was it possible? These questions will be at the heart of the FBI investigation in the lead-up up to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

www.dailymail.co.uk

During 25 years with the FBI, I have seen how countless similar rallies were organised and I consider it highly likely that the Secret Service was responsible for security within an enclosed perimeter, while the local police took charge of the wider zone outside.

Responsibility for every post, every zone, every rooftop needs to be clearly assigned and this division of roles should have been clear to everyone.

This is standard practice for the Secret Service. It's carried out at hundreds of events during the run-up to an election but it's also potentially new territory for each local police department.

But why did that sniper ignore Crooks till then? One plausible explanation is that the Secret Service (which is entirely separate from the FBI) assumed the assassin was a police sniper, part of their security team.

That implies serious failures in communication. When it comes to planning for events such as this, I would expect police and Secret Service teams to not only meet and introduce themselves but map out their specific roles in detail. They ought to have been able to recognise each other by sight.

They should also have double-checked at every stage throughout the rally, ensuring they knew who everybody was and what they were doing. That's just basic.

In the coming days and weeks, the agency will reconstruct every detail of the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, using witness statements, CCTV and media video, as well as amateur footage shot on phones by members of the public.

"That implies serious failures in communication. When it comes to planning for events such as this, I would expect police and Secret Service teams to not only meet and introduce themselves but map out their specific roles in detail. They ought to have been able to recognise each other by sight.

They should also have double-checked at every stage throughout the rally, ensuring they knew who everybody was and what they were doing. That's just basic."


They missed the "basics". Shamefully sad. jmo

 

[Ruminations]

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.

Secret Service can't make every decision for their protectees. Outdoor spaces like that are vulnerable. There is nothing to say that the difficulty protecting it as likely reported by the advance team was not considered- and weighed with other factors about the location.

If they said, we got this Trump. No one will be able to assassinate you here.... I'd agree they failed. But if the security was deliberately given lower priority than other venue features, that is not SS fault. Maybe the campaign wanted a friendlier, folksier look---I could understand that. You can't make all of your decisions around anticipating bad guys.

MOO

 

[Cedars]

It's possible he fell down the accelerationist rabbit hole. Accelerationists want a civil war and can be left, right and libertarian. He seems like a young man who may not have had a stable identity and could have been swayed into violence after becoming radicalized online. We've seen it with Islamist and domestic terrorists alike.

However, so far they haven't apparently found any messages from him, or others he might have associated with - and people with an agenda will definitely proclaim it while they're in the spotlight.

Also, sounds like he had a pretty comfortable life. Whatever political ideology someone expresses online (especially when they're 20 years old), IMO their deepest ideology is, normally, staying alive. Something else was going on, which, IMO, he could not express in words.

JMO

 

[lonetraveler]

Seconds before the gunman opened fire, he came face-to-face with a municipal police officer who wasn’t equipped to neutralize him, Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe said in an interview Sunday with The Washington Post.

Slupe said an officer from Butler Township hoisted himself just high enough to peer onto the roof of the building adjacent to the rally, and the gunman turned around and aimed at him. Because the officer was gripping the roof’s edge, Slupe said, he didn’t have a gun in his hand and dropped back down to the ground.

“He lets go because he doesn’t want to get killed,” Slupe said.
That’s when the gunman began firing onto the fairgrounds, the sheriff said.
Slupe said the municipal officer had gone to examine the roof based on a law enforcement request to try to identify a suspicious individual seen near the rally. He said he did not know if that request came from a federal, state or local agency.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/14/trump-shooting-news-thomas-matthew-crooks-investigation/

Is he saying that the officer was not equipped with a weapon? That makes no sense to me.JMO

 

[fred&edna]

Complacency and carelessness CAN get someone killed. We saw it happen.

 

[Shadowtrix]

Is he saying that the officer was not equipped with a weapon? That makes no sense to me.JMO

Sounds to me more like he couldn’t easily or quickly access his gun as he was hanging off of the ledge/using both hands to climb up.

 

[indicolite22]

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.

Many years ago, a sitting US president visited our country. At the time I worked in a building near (but not next to) the outdoor venue where he gave a speech. All the surrounding buildings were checked in advance for roof access and security was present on the roofs on the day.

 

[RANCH]

No I don’t judge her, just her writers.

But maybe the intention was to sound genuine, not necessarily polished.

Maybe she wrote the message herself. JMO.

 

[justtrish]

I was in the FBI, here's who I suspect is to blame for Trump shooting

What the hell happened - and how was it possible? These questions will be at the heart of the FBI investigation in the lead-up up to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

www.dailymail.co.uk

During 25 years with the FBI, I have seen how countless similar rallies were organised and I consider it highly likely that the Secret Service was responsible for security within an enclosed perimeter, while the local police took charge of the wider zone outside.

Responsibility for every post, every zone, every rooftop needs to be clearly assigned and this division of roles should have been clear to everyone.

This is standard practice for the Secret Service. It's carried out at hundreds of events during the run-up to an election but it's also potentially new territory for each local police department.

But why did that sniper ignore Crooks till then? One plausible explanation is that the Secret Service (which is entirely separate from the FBI) assumed the assassin was a police sniper, part of their security team.

That implies serious failures in communication. When it comes to planning for events such as this, I would expect police and Secret Service teams to not only meet and introduce themselves but map out their specific roles in detail. They ought to have been able to recognise each other by sight.

They should also have double-checked at every stage throughout the rally, ensuring they knew who everybody was and what they were doing. That's just basic.

In the coming days and weeks, the agency will reconstruct every detail of the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, using witness statements, CCTV and media video, as well as amateur footage shot on phones by members of the public.

Interesting...

If this is the way these events go, I really hope they change this. I understand SS is limited, but to me ANY area that someone could gain the high point advantage should be an area the SS controls. It's one thing for local LE to deal with crowds outside the venue. Maybe they do traffic, monitor the crowds in line and so on, but when it comes to those buildings where someone could get a weapon and have a shot straight at the person being protected?? No way that should be left to local LE.

 

[acutename]

Is the Irish independent quotable MSM?

 

[SMK777]

Many years ago, a sitting US president visited our country. At the time I worked in a building near (but not next to) the outdoor venue where he gave a speech. All the surrounding buildings were checked in advance for roof access and security was present on the roofs on the day.

That’s what I would expect with a big Trump rally. He’s a former president and a US presidential candidate.

 

[JennieM]

FBI: Suspect had no indication of mental health issues

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania

FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek just said that, so far, there are no indications that Crooks was suffering from any mental health issues.
The FBI is currently focused on Crooks' motivations, particularly via his social media.
"We have not seen anything threatening," he added. "But it's still very early on."
The FBI is still "working to get access" to Crooks' phone. It is currently being sent to an FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia.
Recent communications have revealed nothing as to his motivations or a larger plan, according to the FBI officials on the call.

Donald Trump rally shooting: Donald Trump calls on Americans to 'stand united' after assassination attempt

The Secret Service, which protects the former president, is facing questions after the shooting at Saturday's rally.

www.bbc.co.uk