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

[justtrish]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812594585866313986

From this photo it appears the roof of that building the shooter was on could have contributed to him being hidden. If he was on the back half of that laying down, it's possible he wasn't visible fully if at all until he began shooting. Laying on the left half that angled up and propping the rifle up on the highest point of the roof would keep most of his body laying below the weapon and making it possible for the SS sniper to not get a good shot at all on him. Probably safe to assume the shooter was not standing up on the roof like the SS snipers are. His goal was to remain hidden. A sniper can take out a target they can't get a good visual on. Seeing his photo helps me understand better why they didn't shoot sooner if they did see him or hear that a threat was on that roof. They quite possibly just didn't see him due to his position.

Now why he was even able to get on that roof that is still a massive question I have.

 

[Luna20]

You bring up something I've been wondering about. Did the sniper need permission or a go signal in order to shoot? Anyone know how this works exactly?

Good question. I don’t know the answer but its been established that it was the first time they killed a suspect.

 

[Knox]

Rally shooter’s family is cooperating with the investigation, FBI says

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, COLLEEN LONG, ZEKE MILLER, ERIC TUCKER

The shooter’s family is cooperating with federal investigators, according to an FBI official.

Relatives of Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, have not returned multiple messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Live updates: Biden delivers Oval Office address on Trump rally shooting

Law enforcement officials are working to learn more about Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

apnews.com

I have compassion for his family, I can't imagine being in their shoes right now - center stage in front of the whole world.

Doesn't seem like they had any idea he was building explosives or planning to assassinate Trump. Pending anything revealed through the investigation, they are victims too. Social media is out of control, they are being viciously attacked right now.

 

[Fabled Automatic]

What's crazy is that this guy had no reasonable expectation of actually being able to pull this off. First, he had to walk from his car with a very conspicuous gun in his hand. Then he had to cross a wide open area with this gun in his hand. Then he had to climb a ladder and access a roof, one which would reasonably be covered by SS marksmen. Then he had to position himself in a way that gave himself a view of trump, all while people watched.

Somehow no one outside a lone police officer reacted fast enough, and even then he either wasn't able, or wasn't willing to engage.

Basically, every single thing had to have gone right, and it did. Of course, for all of that to happen, there had to be staggering failures along the way. It's just insane.

Not to mention the bullet nicking Trump's ear so close to his head without actually hitting his head. The entire situation is just... what are the odds?

 

[Eli9]

What's crazy is that this guy had no reasonable expectation of actually being able to pull this off. First, he had to walk from his car with a very conspicuous gun in his hand. Then he had to cross a wide open area with this gun in his hand. Then he had to climb a ladder and access a roof, one which would reasonably be covered by SS marksmen. Then he had to position himself in a way that gave himself a view of trump, all while people watched.

Somehow no one outside a lone police officer reacted fast enough, and even then he either wasn't able, or wasn't willing to engage.

Basically, every single thing had to have gone right, and it did. Of course, for all of that to happen, there had to be staggering failures along the way. It's just insane.

I wish we had pictures of the alley/breeze way in between those two buildings. Maybe he didn't need a ladder. The officer who has been reported on was able to see the shooter by hanging on to the edge. But also, the shooter looked short to me so IDK

 

[JennieM]

‘We are fully prepared,’ Secret Service says of RNC security plan

BY JESSE BEDAYN

The apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at a rally Saturday did not prompt any changes to the U.S. Secret Service’s security plan for the Republican National Convention that starts Monday, said Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service’s coordinator for the convention, at a press briefing Sunday.

“We are fully prepared and have a comprehensive security plan in place and are ready to go,” Gibson-Cicchino said.





FBI says it has seen no specific threats against RNC or attendees

BY ZEKE MILLER, JESSE BEDAYN

The FBI has seen no known “specific and articulated threats” against the Republican National Convention or anyone attending the event, said Michael Hensle, the FBI special agent in charge of the agency’s Milwaukee field office

The FBI is the lead intelligence agency for the RNC.

Live updates: Biden delivers Oval Office address on Trump rally shooting

Law enforcement officials are working to learn more about Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

apnews.com

 

[JennieM]

2 min ago

Co-worker and former classmate says rally shooter gave no indication of trouble

From CNN's Holmes Lybrand and Majlie de Puy Kamp

A former classmate and co-worker of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman at Donald Trump’s Saturday rally, told CNN they remember Crooks as “the sweetest guy.”

“He was a friendly face in the hallway,” the co-worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CNN. “He was kind of scrawny, nerdy and very smart. Not traditionally like the most popular person, but from what I saw, I didn’t think that he was super bullied.”

The person, who worked with Crooks at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, added that in high school, Crooks “had a good friend group, and from what I saw, he seemed happy.”

“He was always a pleasant face to see. … He’s always receptive to my small talk,” they said. “Very polite, a little quiet, but that’s fine.”

Earlier this week, Crooks and his colleague worked together to figure out an easier way for the nursing home residents to open packets of ranch dressing, an act the colleague said was indicative of how helpful and caring Crooks was.

They added: “He was honestly so sweet and a really a pleasure to work with. So that has made all of this really hard because his name will probably go down in infamy, but to me, he will always just be like the super sweet kid from work.”
The colleague said they didn’t recognize the picture painted of Crooks after his actions.

“He’s not a radical,” they said, noting that he never expressed any political views at work. “It’s hard seeing everything that’s going on online because he was a really, really good person that did a really bad thing. And I just wish I knew why.”

CNN’s Alli Gordon contributed to this report.

https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-rally-shooting-07-14-24/index.html

 

[JennieM]

3 min ago

BlackRock pulls commercial that included rally shooter

From CNN's Jordan Valinsky

BlackRock is pulling an ad that had included Thomas Crooks in it, the gunman that shot at former President Donald Trump, injuring the former president and killing an attendee at a rally near Pittsburgh on Saturday.

“In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks,” a spokesperson for the investment company said Sunday.

“We will make all video footage available to the appropriate authorities, and we have removed the video from circulation out of respect for the victims.”

The 30-second video focused on a teacher at the high school, with Crooks sitting in class. The video went viral on X and other social media platforms Sunday.

BlackRock said the “assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent.”

“We’re thankful former President Trump wasn’t seriously injured, and thinking about all the innocent bystanders and victims of this awful act, especially the person who was killed. As our leadership team communicated to colleagues last night, BlackRock strongly condemns political violence of any kind and will do our part to promote civility and unity in the country.”

https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-rally-shooting-07-14-24/index.html

 

[JennieM]

now

FBI: No clear motive for shooting so far

Nearly 24 hours after what FBI officials called an assassination attempt at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania, law enforcement officials said they had not yet identified a motive for the attack.

Authorities named the suspected gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, and said he is believed to have acted alone.

“At present, we have not identified an ideology associated with the subject, but I want to remind everyone that we’re still very early in this investigation,” FBI special agent in charge Kevin Rojek told reporters in a Sunday briefing, according to ABC News.

The FBI did not “currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” he said.

Public records show that Crooks was a registered Republican, who in 2021 had donated $15 to a progressive super PAC. The FBI said they believe the AR-style rifle the shooter used was legally purchased by the gunman’s father.

The FBI is combing through the suspect’s social media feeds but so far has not found any threatening writing or social media posts, officials said. At least one social media platform popular with gamers, Discord, said the suspect had an account but was not particularly active, and had not discussed his political beliefs or plans for an attack.

The suspect’s employer, the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, said in a statement that he “performed his job without concern and his background check was clean.”

The FBI said it was investigating the Trump rally shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism, defined as an action inside the US that is intended to intimidate or coerce civilians or influence government policy, the Associated Press reported.

The absence of a clear ideological motive added to the deepening questions about the shooting, the Associated Press reported, denying the public any swift or tidy conclusions about the shocking attack.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed reporting

Trump rally shooting: Biden says ‘there is no place in America for this kind of violence’; attendee who was killed is identified – latest updates

Suspect, named as Thomas Matthew Crooks, also killed in shooting at Pennsylvania rally; former first lady echoes husband’s call for unity

www.theguardian.com

 

[LunaInvidia]

Wouldn't it be absolutely wild if it turned out this is a Hinckley situation and he wasn't trying to make a political statement, just get Jodie Foster to notice him

 

[Knox]

I have been wondering that all day. You can clearly see him line up his shot, lean back for a brief moment, then fire after the shooter fired first.

Is that on video? If so, can you give me a link please?

 

[Knox]

Oh wow, 164 yards, less distance than initial reports.

Last night they consistently said 148 yards, so maybe this changes depending on the news source.

 

[Madison1905]

Can you imagine the amount of agencies coming to Milwaukee to protect him for the Republican Convention on Monday? Lots of tall buildings downtown with unlimited spots to cover. I live in Wisconsin and Milwaukee is the last place I would go to right away after the rally in Pennsylvania.

 

[JennieM]

Thomas Matthew Crooks pictured: Everything we know about Biden donor who shot Trump during rally

Video of his graduation at link…

Thomas Matthew Crooks pictured: Everything we know

Yearbook images have surfaced of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who opened fire on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Dpdan]

I hope counselling is made available to the rally attendees. It may not affect them immediately but being present at an incident like this can't fail to affect them somehow.

 

[lonetraveler]

Maybe she wrote the message herself. JMO.

I think that Melania did write the message. It was a heart warming, emotional message.

 

[Knox]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812594585866313986

When you explode that picture. Good lord that's close and in direct line of site!! Best yet in terms of showing us how close a 20 year old kid with an AK, outsmarted the elite of the elite. Unbelievable!!!!!

Noting- this diagram says 130 yards. Media are all stating different measurements, hopefully an offically sourced number is released soon.

 

[Knox]

What's crazy is that this guy had no reasonable expectation of actually being able to pull this off. First, he had to walk from his car with a very conspicuous gun in his hand. Then he had to cross a wide open area with this gun in his hand. Then he had to climb a ladder and access a roof, one which would reasonably be covered by SS marksmen. Then he had to position himself in a way that gave himself a view of trump, all while people watched.

Somehow no one outside a lone police officer reacted fast enough, and even then he either wasn't able, or wasn't willing to engage.

Basically, every single thing had to have gone right, and it did. Of course, for all of that to happen, there had to be staggering failures along the way. It's just insane.

All true, it staggering to even comprehend.

One thing I haven't seen discussed. I saw something this morning which stated Crooks had explosives in his vehicle and they found evidence of this at the home. I've not seen a description - type, quantity, detonation, ect. But wondering if he brought them along in case he was stopped in a blockade near the event?

 

[JennieM]

3 min ago

Forensic audio analysis confirms Trump rally shooter’s location

From CNN’s Gianluca Mezzofiore and Avery Schmitz

Audio analysis confirms that the gunman, who fired shots Saturday at former President Trump, was situated approximately 110-120 meters (360-393 feet) from the podium, according to forensics expert Dr. Robert Maher.

This conclusion aligns with CNN’s analysis that the suspected gunman was situated on a rooftop 120-150 meters (393-492 feet) from the podium when shots rang out.

The shots exemplify a “crack-pop” sequence, typical when a supersonic bullet passes a microphone, before the “arrival of the corresponding muzzle blast sound,” Maher, who teaches audio forensics at Montana State University, told CNN.

The time between these markers places the shooter 110-120 meters from the microphone, Maher says assuming that the bullet is moving at an average speed of 800-1,000 meters per second, the equivalent of 2,600-3,280 feet per second.

https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-rally-shooting-07-14-24/index.html

 

[JennieM]

2 min ago

House Homeland Security chair holds call with Secret Service director about security failures at Trump rally

From CNN's Annie Grayer

House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green held a call with US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Sunday afternoon with pressing questions on what led to Saturday’s historic security failures, a committee source familiar with the call told CNN.

Green, a Tennessee Republican, also detailed the information requests that he has out with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which include Secret Service communications and documents surrounding the rally, the source added.

Cheatle committed to providing requested documents to the committee promptly as able, per the source.

The committee majority now plans to hold a virtual briefing with Cheatle on Monday for members to voice their concerns and ask questions, according to the source.

President Joe Biden said earlier Sunday that “I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened. And I’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people.”

https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-rally-shooting-07-14-24/index.html