07-14-2024, 05:46 PM
I've been watching this since it happened. The local news doesn't update much on weekends, so I have switched back to MSM... combination of Fox, CNN, and NewsNation in an attempt to find that happy medium where truth resides. Here's my take:
First, the guy was a sharpshooter. I originally said, this guy is either ex-military, law enforcement, or possibly self-trained. Turns out he was 20 years old and too young to be ex-military or law enforcement. That left self-trained, and the fact he was wearing a t-shirt from an online arms dealer sorta verifies the self-trained theory. He was a "gun nut."
Turns out, he was also a loner. Bullied at school. Sound familiar?
He lived with his parents in a blue-collar suburb of Pittsburgh, 20 miles away. Name was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was registered as a Republican, but I don't think this was really political. I figure he probably registered that way because his folks were Republicans. That happens a lot. But he also sent a $15 donation to a "progressive PAC" in January of 2021. That tells me he wasn't really political.
The gun was an AR-15, .223 caliber (5.56 NATO), a very common round that most AR-15s come in. That's a high-powered .22 and a pretty lethal round. It's perfect for a sniper round as it has a long, flat trajectory and some serious muzzle energy. Many rounds are also full metal jacket and will tumble when they hit bone; the semi-jacketed rounds are also pretty good at mushrooming on impact. I called the round last night well before the gun was identified.
I say he was a sharpshooter because he almost made a deadly hit. His aim was true, even from 130+ yards. That bullet was going to hit Trump dead in the right temple, and that's an immediate kill. Think of JFK... Trump's brains would have been all over that stage. But, just as the trigger was pulled, Trump turned his head to the right and cocked it to the left. Instead of hitting his temple, the bullet flew right past his head and cut his upper right ear. That's a sharpshooter, not some kid who likes to shoot guns. This dude was good!
Once Trump felt/heard the bullet, he put his hand up to his ear, saw the blood, and dropped. The shooter kept firing, hitting at least three other people. One died at the scene; the other two were injured but survived (for now). Secret Service was there almost immediately, forming a human shield until the shooter could be neutralized. Good job by the agents.
Here's where things get wonky: Crooks was seen by guests climbing onto the roof. Those guests alerted Secret Service. One policeman saw the shooter on the roof and confronted him... the shooter pointed the rifle at the cop and the cop left the roof. I heard one witness estimate it was 3 or 4 minutes between climbing the ladder and the shots... that's a fast setup! It shows single-mindedness. There were apparently obstacles on the roof that Crooks hid behind. Now, I would think that if someone mentioned to the Secret Service that they saw an armed man climbing onto a roof, there would e a few things happen almost immediately: snipers trained on the roof to see him, Trump interrupted and shielded, and a fast investigation of that roof. But the guy had time to set up and fire what? 8 rounds I heard? at a pace that allowed that first bullet to be on the money.
Also, why was that roof not being supervised? 130+ yards is not an easy shot, but it is well within possibility for an experienced shooter. Someone should have been watching that roof!
Here's what I think: I think crooks was a loner with a lot of anger. He was approached by someone to kill Trump and assured that the Secret Service was in on the deal. Someone cased out that roof and made sure that security was not monitoring it. Crooks took his father's AR-15, scaled the roof, and fired. Secret Service at the time was trying to figure out how to cover that roof without compromising security (another indication that the security was planned out to keep that roof open). Once thee shots were fired, the snipers took him out.
The plan failed; Trump is alive. But now, get ready for the call to ban firearms. Biden already hinted at that in his first presser after the assassination attempt. I also doubt that whoever concocted this event will try again. It seems we are no longer in a country where elections are for sale to the highest bidder; now, elections are by attrition instead of vote.
God help us all.
TheRedneck
First, the guy was a sharpshooter. I originally said, this guy is either ex-military, law enforcement, or possibly self-trained. Turns out he was 20 years old and too young to be ex-military or law enforcement. That left self-trained, and the fact he was wearing a t-shirt from an online arms dealer sorta verifies the self-trained theory. He was a "gun nut."
Turns out, he was also a loner. Bullied at school. Sound familiar?
He lived with his parents in a blue-collar suburb of Pittsburgh, 20 miles away. Name was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was registered as a Republican, but I don't think this was really political. I figure he probably registered that way because his folks were Republicans. That happens a lot. But he also sent a $15 donation to a "progressive PAC" in January of 2021. That tells me he wasn't really political.
The gun was an AR-15, .223 caliber (5.56 NATO), a very common round that most AR-15s come in. That's a high-powered .22 and a pretty lethal round. It's perfect for a sniper round as it has a long, flat trajectory and some serious muzzle energy. Many rounds are also full metal jacket and will tumble when they hit bone; the semi-jacketed rounds are also pretty good at mushrooming on impact. I called the round last night well before the gun was identified.
I say he was a sharpshooter because he almost made a deadly hit. His aim was true, even from 130+ yards. That bullet was going to hit Trump dead in the right temple, and that's an immediate kill. Think of JFK... Trump's brains would have been all over that stage. But, just as the trigger was pulled, Trump turned his head to the right and cocked it to the left. Instead of hitting his temple, the bullet flew right past his head and cut his upper right ear. That's a sharpshooter, not some kid who likes to shoot guns. This dude was good!
Once Trump felt/heard the bullet, he put his hand up to his ear, saw the blood, and dropped. The shooter kept firing, hitting at least three other people. One died at the scene; the other two were injured but survived (for now). Secret Service was there almost immediately, forming a human shield until the shooter could be neutralized. Good job by the agents.
Here's where things get wonky: Crooks was seen by guests climbing onto the roof. Those guests alerted Secret Service. One policeman saw the shooter on the roof and confronted him... the shooter pointed the rifle at the cop and the cop left the roof. I heard one witness estimate it was 3 or 4 minutes between climbing the ladder and the shots... that's a fast setup! It shows single-mindedness. There were apparently obstacles on the roof that Crooks hid behind. Now, I would think that if someone mentioned to the Secret Service that they saw an armed man climbing onto a roof, there would e a few things happen almost immediately: snipers trained on the roof to see him, Trump interrupted and shielded, and a fast investigation of that roof. But the guy had time to set up and fire what? 8 rounds I heard? at a pace that allowed that first bullet to be on the money.
Also, why was that roof not being supervised? 130+ yards is not an easy shot, but it is well within possibility for an experienced shooter. Someone should have been watching that roof!
Here's what I think: I think crooks was a loner with a lot of anger. He was approached by someone to kill Trump and assured that the Secret Service was in on the deal. Someone cased out that roof and made sure that security was not monitoring it. Crooks took his father's AR-15, scaled the roof, and fired. Secret Service at the time was trying to figure out how to cover that roof without compromising security (another indication that the security was planned out to keep that roof open). Once thee shots were fired, the snipers took him out.
The plan failed; Trump is alive. But now, get ready for the call to ban firearms. Biden already hinted at that in his first presser after the assassination attempt. I also doubt that whoever concocted this event will try again. It seems we are no longer in a country where elections are for sale to the highest bidder; now, elections are by attrition instead of vote.
God help us all.
TheRedneck
