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

[karen in New York]

You can hold onto a ladder with one hand, and use your free hand to do anything you want. That’s how construction workers do their jobs.

We’ll learn more soon I’m sure via a police report or something.

Was there a ladder? I missed that. Why would a ladder be up against a building. That might be an invitation for problems.

 

[Betty P]

The president and vice president have been briefed. Homeland security has spoke with the secret service and been briefed.

It's time the American people are briefed. We should not have to wait week months for a thorough indepth investigation before we know what happened. Americans will judge this attempted assassination based on what the media is reporting. Many live witnesses are speaking out, we have many facts, now we need answers and quickly.

The last thing I want to hear tonight, is kumbaya, hug your neighbor and let's all be one happy family. I think if that's the message the American public will be infuriated.

This is a very serious situation, an attempt was made on a previous president and public figure running for office.

It's a .... tell us what you know, and let's move on and try to heal, or they can let this fester.

Moo

It's a crime scene, just as with any similar crime. It will take a while to investigate, just as similar crimes are investigated here every day.

They know who the shooter was, where he got his weapon. The rest will take time.

Unfortunately, its not the first or last attempted assassination of a president or ex-president. There's a process and procedures to follow.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

The shooter attempted to somewhat hide his ladder

View attachment 517899
Source:

Trump shooting: Gunman identified as video shows body and rifle on roof

Footage shows the body of the attacker, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, on the roof of a nearby building.

news.sky.com

Is that a ladder? If yes, then how did the local police officer climb to the roof?

 

[Eli9]

Was there a ladder? I missed that. Why would a ladder be up against a building. That might be an invitation for problems.

@Fabled Automatic posted a pic in the following post. The ladder can be seen behind the evergreen trees/shrubs.

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

I've been out of town and catching up. Incredible to me that a 20 year old with a rifle, that's reported a lousy shot, can get close enough to a President or former President to shoot him/her and also innocent Americans were injured and one lost their life. I thought Melania's letter was...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Knox]

The shooter attempted to somewhat hide his ladder

View attachment 517899
Source:

Trump shooting: Gunman identified as video shows body and rifle on roof

Footage shows the body of the attacker, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, on the roof of a nearby building.

news.sky.com

The shot you posted above is here on Google maps, you can zoom in and out and Google walk the facility from a few different angles. What do you mean hide his ladder?

Google Maps

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www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Betty P]

The shooter attempted to somewhat hide his ladder

View attachment 517899
Source:

Trump shooting: Gunman identified as video shows body and rifle on roof

Footage shows the body of the attacker, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, on the roof of a nearby building.

news.sky.com

Where did the killer get a ladder? He was seen before the shooting. Someone would have noticed him carrying that big ladder.

 

[Fabled Automatic]

I'll certainly didn't mean to imply that, and understand how my statement does appear to convey that.

I guess what I'm trying to say... Is, as we see with so many families here, exposed to horrific trauma, the ability to heal is in the answers to the questions .... why did this happen, how did this happen, who's responsible, who's accountable, what are we going to do to prevent it in the future.

I don't think we can heal until we know what and why. It's just human nature. We see families suffer through trials, seeking answers.
Moo

I understand your frustration. I could not and would not work in LE, so I'm not meaning to criticize anyone in particular, but reading things like:

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

is, in my opinion, NOT what hurting Americans are needing nor wanting to hear right now. When wounds are still fresh, fears are still high, and many questions still unanswered, saying "we don't need to change anything" does nothing to quell those fears and comfort a disturbed public. One is dead, others injured, and a President was almost killed. Just saying, they could have worked on their optics a little.

Source of quote:

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

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

@Fabled Automatic posted a pic in the following post. The ladder can be seen behind the evergreen trees/shrubs.

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

I've been out of town and catching up. Incredible to me that a 20 year old with a rifle, that's reported a lousy shot, can get close enough to a President or former President to shoot him/her and also innocent Americans were injured and one lost their life. I thought Melania's letter was...

www.websleuths.com

The red circle of the object on the roof confuses the comment about the ladder behind the bushes.

 

[Fabled Automatic]

The shot you posted above is here on Google maps, you can zoom in and out and Google walk the facility from a few different angles. What do you mean hide his ladder?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

I'm guessing he felt putting it behind those large cedars was a good cover for the ladder.

 

[Fabled Automatic]

The red circle of the object on the roof confuses the comment about the ladder behind the bushes.

I agree. It's not my pic. The red circle is where he laid and was killed.

 

[Eli9]

Where did the killer get a ladder? He was seen before the shooting. Someone would have noticed him carrying that big ladder.

If he was denied entry to the rally, perhaps this was a back up plan. The explosives in the vehicle a third plan. ? It will be interesting to know if he had planted the ladder on the property ahead of time, and if so was this property actually swept by LE/SS? If so, was it missed? If not, why not.

 

[Knox]

This may have already been said - but it bears repeating, if Trump had not turned his head when he did, it likely would be a different story. I don’t think the shooter was as bad a shot as is being implied.

Agree, I think the men in the bleachers were shot because the Cop appeared. It's been said when the officer retreated, he laid down and immediately began to fire. In other words, he was forced to hurry and take aim before he could be stopped.

Photo shows gunman on roof before firing shots at Trump rally

An image provided exclusively to Pittsburgh's Action News 4 shows gunman Thomas Crooks on top of a roof before an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

www.wtae.com

 

[Eli9]

The red circle of the object on the roof confuses the comment about the ladder behind the bushes.

Hence why I described the location of the ladder. The photo is not mine to edit.

 

[JennieM]

17m ago

Biden on suspect: ‘We do not know the motive of the shooter yet’

“We do not know his motives or affiliations, if he had help or support or communicated with anyone else,” Joe Biden said.

Biden gives Oval Office address after assassination attempt on Trump: ‘Politics must never be a killing field’ – latest updates

Suspect, named as Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed in shooting at Pennsylvania rally; Trump and Biden reportedly had ‘good conversation’

www.theguardian.com

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

The shot you posted above is here on Google maps, you can zoom in and out and Google walk the facility from a few different angles. What do you mean hide his ladder?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Thanks for those links. I wonder if any of those buildings have cameras that cover the parking areas. Curious if he’d been on film, so to speak, scoping out the place in person. You’d think he would have had to go in person at least once, as the access wasn’t simple.

 

[Cindizzi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812593553773568003

 

[MassGuy]

The red circle of the object on the roof confuses the comment about the ladder behind the bushes.

I cropped it. It’s behind and to the left of those trees, for anyone confused.

 

[vls12345]

I'm guessing he felt putting it behind those large cedars was a good cover for the ladder.

Wow. I wonder when he propped that ladder up? A few minutes before he started shooting? A few hours? A day?

How was that not seen or noticed?

 

[Knox]

If you see the distance from where he was on the roof, to his ladder, to his parked vehicle (not very far), my guess would be he intended to flee and force a standoff with LE, perhaps goading them to approach his car. MOO

ETA - See MassGuys cropped photo.

Here's what the witness who first saw Crooks said, "we saw a guy crawling, army, bear crawling up the roof of the building". Hear his account for yourself Trump rally: Witness says he saw gunman minutes before shots were fired

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www.google.com

 

[MassGuy]

You keep mentioning a ladder, where is that information coming from?

Here's what the witness who first saw Crooks said, "we saw a guy crawling, army, bear crawling up the roof of the building". Hear his account for yourself Trump rally: Witness says he saw gunman minutes before shots were fired

There are pipes that run to the top of the roof, is that how he got to the roof? The siding is channeled, but smooth - no way he's "bear crawling" up that.

Google Maps

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www.google.com

Here’s the ladder stuff:

Several rallygoers reported to local officers that Crooks was acting suspiciously and pacing near the magnetometers, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. Officers were then told Crooks was climbing a ladder, the official said. Officers searched for him but were unable to find him before he made it to the roof, the official added.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told the AP that a local officer climbed to the roof and encountered Crooks, who saw the officer and turned toward him just before the officer dropped down to safety. Slupe said the officer couldn’t have wielded his own gun under the circumstances. The officer retreated down the ladder, and Crooks quickly took a shot toward Trump, and that’s when Secret Service snipers shot him, according to two officials who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Authorities hunt for clues, but motive of man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump remains elusive

Investigators are hunting for any clues about what may have drove Thomas Matthew Crooks to try to assassinate former President Donald Trump.

apnews.com