Trump Rally Shooting: SEE PINNED MESSAGES/CHECK OLD NEWS FOR INFO

[wanton ether]

Biden will speak to the nation at 8pm ET

[wary pier]

Tweet is kind of confusing because she uses the words "relied heavily" but phrase appears nowhere in the actual article text https://fxtwitter.com/CarolLeonnig/status/1812551493691810051

[wary pier]

https://fxtwitter.com/ABC/status/1812551558090916169

[wanton ether]

thank you for backing up with a primary source

[wanton ether]

her comment relies heavily on fingerpointing the wrong direction.

[wary pier]

exactly and she's on the article byline

[heavy halo]

Also, the thread I linked above from Dan Kaszeta indicates that at least some assistance from locals is the norm, because USSS (contrary to some beliefs apparently 😉) is not omnipotent.

[wary pier]

I have no idea why she's misrepresenting her own reporting like this

[errant star]

https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-13-2024#00000190-b27e-dc4e-ab9d-ba7eb1060000 AP News says: "One officer [ed: local law enforcement?] 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 former President Donald Trump, and that’s when the U.S. Secret Service counter snipers shot him, said the officials"

[thin lark]

USSS and other federal agencies with protectees like the State Department also rely heavily on some military support like EOD, under Defense Support of Civil Authorities.

[spring falcon]

Video of gunman shooting/getting shot at. ||https://x.com/TMZ/status/1812554814338761055||

[wanton ether]

Happen to know who the group in multicam are? Was that an SRT?

[wary pier]

So no shots fired until after the officer saw him?

[thin lark]

USSS' tactical team is called counter assault team (CAT). I think the multicam guy was probably just some State SWAT guy.

[errant star]

I agree that is ambiguous, and confusing. Initially it was 3 shots, and last I had heard reported, generally, was up to 8 shots. So....quickly got off 1-8 shots?

[wary pier]

And he couldn't have had much time to aim, if AP is correct

[thin lark]

RCP doesn't seem like a reliable source, and that doesn't sound like a reliable testimony, especially with how federal law enforcement, and law enforcement in the US typically works when regarding use of force. This wasn't just a suspcious individual, this was a guy with a rifle, crawling on a roof, which you'd be able to easily tell with any magnified optic from 125 meters.

[spring falcon]

Fair.

[winter basin]

This is interesting: The sequence of events is that people in the crowd saw the shooter, informing an officer to climb the ladder and take matters into his own hands before the shooter shoots or before USSS SOD counter snipers take aim , the would be shooter takes aim at DT and fires off a number of round and then likely based on the retreating officers communication and the audible location of the shooter the shooter is taken down and only then DT leaves the stage once his shoe is secured

[modern kelp]

There's a photo of a shoe left on the stage so was it ever returned? ^

[winter basin]

But DT was more concerned about his shoe than his life

[smoky bison]

https://x.com/LtTimMcMillan/status/1812383798740324380

Tim McMillan (@LtTimMcMillan) on X

🧵Having personally worked several Presidential and Vice Presidential security details, here’s some of my thoughts based on the available info of the assassination attempt on Trump.

Twitter · Jul 14, 2024, 7:09 AM

[humble mango]

Updated injury list

https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/psp/newsroom/pennsylvania-state-police-identify-victims-shot-during-attempted.html

[winter basin]

It would be possible to make a timeline with 30Hz detail with original time stamped video files. How do we obtain the raw data?

Just sync up the audio striped tracks in the edit and walk the time line

Also has someone done the ray casting analysis on the LiDAR to see where the shooters prone position was in view from standing height at ground level?

[near flower]

These are really great points.

[winter basin]

Based on crowd density you could estimate the number of witnesses

[wanton ether]

@sharp peak might be the one to ask.

[winter basin]

We used to do this for line of site estimates for community wireless networks

When I get to my workstation in 3-4 hours I can see what can be estimated

I dare say soldiers do this in their head in unfamiliar territory

[wanton ether]

very cool, makes sense.

if you haven't already seen them, here are thomas' earlier contribs:

#1261812072103022593 message
#1261812072103022593 message

[winter basin]

Yup it is 5:20 am, gotta do morning routine before going forensics

You can also work out the requirements for policing an area to determine negligence

[humble mango]

The man seen in this image is Rico Elmore- a local politician who did a few interviews confirming he was in the area trying to save the fatality. Earlier that day, - he was on stage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRFju9OT7r0

Not entirely "groundbreaking"- but still confirming eyewitness reports and trying to map out where everyone was during the shooting- may help figure out a "timeline" for videos/ images.

[wanton ether]

there's a person in a white (stained) t-shirt from earlier footage in the crowd. looks like it could be him.

he would have been assisting the firefighter (Corey) above.

[humble mango]

Yeah I sent the image of Rico with his suit+ tie off, with blood on him (replied to it with the above post)

[wanton ether]

ah, didn't see that.

yes that's the one.

[sharp peak]

The program that I know can make viewsheds with LiDAR data is ENVI from NV5, but I don't have a license for it yet (requires a manual security review to get the software). If you know of another program that works for this and doesn't need a license please let me know. Also if you want the LAZ file DM me

[muted belfry]

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/ceqd55865pyo

[winter basin]

If someone can attempt to mesh the LiDAR and make proxy models of the buildings that would be great

[humble mango]

Additional "verification" images to confirm this isn't a weird doppelganger sorta situation- Yellow bracelet (?) on his right, watch on his left.
(Always good to really make sure on this sorta stuff)

[hallow gull]

https://x.com/OliviaRubinABC/status/1812573696118374536

Olivia Rubin (@OliviaRubinABC) on X

NEW: Suspected Trump shooter was once rejected from high school rifle club, 2 former team members tell @ABC

“...he was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was, it was considered like, dangerous,” said one of team members.

Twitter · Jul 14, 2024, 7:43 PM

[errant star]

https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-13-2024#00000190-b2c5-db1f-aff3-ffc56c040000 AP News said FBI said "they have located a suspicious device and defused it"

[winter basin]

My background is digital content creation https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1668128/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk I haven’t made my mind up but I was thinking https://www.meshlab.net/ and https://github.com/PointCloudLibrary/pcl then Houdini VOP https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/nodes/vop/fastshadow.html

Houdini has a steep learning curve but an apprentice version exists

[echo yacht]

if you want to start an initiative and get people together, how about posting in #research-leads and leave this channel for posts about the news 🙂

anyone who wants to help SamHodge can head there!

[heavy halo]

Local police officer encountered shooter before he fired towards Trump, AP sources say

https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-13-2024#00000190-b27e-dc4e-ab9d-ba7eb1060000

[sharp peak]

A point I wanted to make about a lot of graphics being used by outlets to show the layout of the site: many of them only show the location of the closest USSS countersniper team that were seen on video reacting to the shots being fired, but there were two sniper teams on the barn roofs behind the stands. The closest team seen in this video https://x.com/Mrgunsngear/status/1812300074250273177 had a tree between them and the shooter while the further team seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fo_QS3RESU had a clear line of sight and may have been the ones who took out the shooter. #1261812072103022593 message

Here are some examples of the graphics omitting the further sniper team from the BBC and the New York Times

[carmine hamlet]

Thank you for this, I thought it was wierd that everyone assumed it was just the most visible team

[heavy halo]

Yeah, there was a duscussion about that here. Some felt it couldn't be both outside barns because the right roof didn't match. Thanks for finding the proof.

[wanton ether]

https://fixupx.com/OAlexanderDK/status/1812520285444182527

[sharp peak]

This photo shows the team on the right facing the opposite direction og the shooter at some point during the rally. https://www.reddit.com/r/SpecOpsArchive/comments/1e2pi38/secret_service_cat_13_july_2024

[carmine hamlet]

Found this in the CNN feed. Possible to ID the uniforms of the teams?

[thin lark]

Left is north building USSS team then. Right/south building team could be local from the patches on their arm. I haven't seen anything showing the other 2 teams
https://x.com/alaynatreene/status/1812318273158987977?t=UytMAo74VeRI3Vdrgtj4gQ&s=19

Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) on X

Photos of the counter snipers inside the rally venue today, taken by my incredible security detail with @CNN who made sure we were safe and protected

Twitter · Jul 14, 2024, 2:48 AM

[neon jetty]

Do we have any video that starts earlier than the TMZ video? That one starts basically at the first shot so it's hard to verify the story that an officer began to engage.

[gleaming parcel]

These publications quite literally rely on OSINT-goers online

[gleaming parcel]

If at all it would probably be somewhere on Instagram or meta platform

[neon jetty]

Cnn has this but there are basically no visuals. You can hear "he's got a gun" then shots but you don't see anything but the camera moving wildly

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/14/us/video/timeline-trump-rally-shooting-assassination-attempt-foreman-digvid

[echo yacht]

TMZ titled the video "TMZ Exclusive" so that makes me think someone sold it to them directly, versus picking it up on social media. of course, that doesn't mean the reverse has happened - it was then ripped from TMZ and then uploaded to social media

hey all, I had a minute at my big PC so I made a quick screenshot of how to find pinned messages in Discord. If you keep hearing "check the pins" this is where they are

[oblique hatch]

May be worth adding these instructions for mobile users:

Click the thread title -> open the Settings menu -> click Pinned Messages

Feel free to delete this message to keep things clean 🙂

[echo yacht]

that was my next message! thank you 🙂

[carmine hamlet]

Mobile is certainly interesting, for some reason the pins are in the settings/config menu...

Oop, didn't scroll down & see your message

[wanton ether]

@carmine hamlet it's because there are discrepancies in identifying where the shooting happened from and the relative positions of each team accordingly.

the BBC/NYT has him closer to the grassy area. the issues here are:

• shooter is now within view of both spotter/sniper teams
• fireman (casualty) is no longer in direct line with shooter position
  • and seems actually removed from harm's way in this version

the Twitter OSINT places him closer to the treeline and parking lot. (overhead shot is pretty definitive imo.) I find this to be the more convincing take.

[added labels for sourcing of each image in panel.]

https://x.com/OAlexanderDK/status/1812469738229920008
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c3g6k02k960o
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/14/us/trump-shooting-thomas-matthew-crooks-intl-hnk/index.html

I'm happy to be corrected.

[echo yacht]

@wanton ether and I were looking at some maps and we were discussing this WaPo one. Placing it here for anyone else who's interested

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/14/trump-rally-shooting-timeline/

[wanton ether]

that angle makes more sense. shooter came to rest slightly above the [A] marker.

[echo yacht]

another one in the article

[mental rune]

Regarding the talk about maps, has anyone done the calculations to determine the position of the sun at time of the shooting?

[echo yacht]

i don't think so. go for it!

[carmine hamlet]

I agree, I wasn't trying to make a point about actual OSINT findings, I was more talking about various early media & twitter maps that wouldn't be precise enough to determine LOS, and IMO seemed to just assume that counterfire was from the prominent team- iif they even considered multiple teams

[wanton ether]

i'm tracking. strong agree.

[carmine hamlet]

Tbh, I don't think a lot of the "simple" analysis even considered complications of multiple positions, perhaps seeing them as one sorta homogenous force that's just on That Barn Over There

[mental rune]

Using the timestamp from this CNN article, and NOAA Solar Calculator.

Note: location might be off a tad bit, as I was eyeballing the location of Trump from the other maps posted.

Thankfully, the CNN article has transcript of the footage with timestamps.

Referencing the first timestamp they have listed where the shots were first fired.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/14/politics/what-was-said-on-stage-after-trump-was-shot/index.html

https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/

End Result:

[elfin pumice]

I've been a fan of Task and Purpose for a while but I wanted to post their tactical analysis of the attack here for you folks to judge, particularly since there are a few geolocation/mapping moments in the video, including at 8:05 where he states there are 18 buildings that had clear line of site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKHqxPNNxfA

[spring falcon]

https://x.com/NBCNews/status/1812636020627694023?t=-gJiwpa6UpnveVGxtRj6_w

NBC News (@NBCNews) on X

NEW: The rooftop where a gunman shot at former President Trump was identified by the U.S. Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days before the event, sources familiar with the agency’s operations tell NBC News. https://t.co/ubKtrhHBAI

Twitter · Jul 14, 2024, 11:51 PM

[winter basin]

not sure if this helpsm from data here: https://portal.opentopography.org/usgsDataset?dsid=PA_WesternPA_2_2019 using OpenSource CloudCompare: https://www.danielgm.net/cc/

[wanton ether]

some footage above from the ground is taken from these areas:

[echo yacht]

I'm wondering about the quality of reporting regarding the "outcast/bullied" takes. There's a lot more going around but here's an article that's a good example. It cites kids who talked to him once who say he was a loner with no friends and then other kids who say he had a friend group with people who wore Trump hats.

What we know about the Trump rally gunman so far

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/14/us/trump-rally-gunman-thomas-crooks-invs

For you oldies this reminds me of Columbine where media grabbed any kids to get their takes, and didn't seem to ask questions to establish that the kids speaking knew the shooter in any sort of meaningful way

[wary pier]

Agree. Just referencing a couple of high school peers is in no way definitive

And the lack of other interesting things (eg social media / clear motive) definitely left those peers as a solid option for media

[echo yacht]

Right - talking about him walking down the hall with no expression. Someone could write an article right now about how I walk down the hall with resting bitch face. It would be true but not the whole story

[wary pier]

that reporting def stood out to me as odd for sure. and presumably these people probably haven't spoken to him in ~2 years

[echo yacht]

It's a very clickable topic. People want to dig into the lives of shooters for "answers"

[wary pier]

Exactly

[tidal pawn]

Has the been any info on what he was doing after graduating from high school?

[echo yacht]

I saw that he graduated with an associates from community college and I believe he was working

[tidal pawn]

Thanks. I missed that info

[echo yacht]

Sorry, I'm being US centric. An associates' is a 2 year degree.

Many people who obtain them then transfer to a 4 year university for their bachelor's

[warm thistle]

According to CNN, he worked as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Bethel Park, PA. CNN cited the center's administrator as confirming this fact. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/14/us/trump-rally-gunman-thomas-crooks-invs/index.html

(5th paragraph below his graduation picture)

[cinder moon]

Wild https://x.com/ywnreporter/status/1812648353169060042?s=46&t=M5NDkOw1JOReIpB15FnUoQ

Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) on X

🚨Wild video shows the shooter crawling into position while folks point him out to law enforcement at Trump rally.

Twitter · Jul 15, 2024, 12:40 AM

[winter basin]

Good info here #research-leads message

[ripe forge]

I am going to redo the Sniper map to incorporate the information on the counter sniper team on the southern barn, but by eyeballing it, seems like they might have a better line of visibility.

Does anyone know for sure which teams returned fire?

[winter basin]

There was a press conference with the USSS scheduled at about 7am ish Adelaide time but the live cross never happened in Nine News Australia, but I think someone could dig up a broadcast of that

Bingo:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS9i4zDFrQM

[ripe forge]

Sniper Team 1 Viewshed:

Sniper Team 2 Viewshed:

Shooter Viewshed:

[mental rune]

Don’t mind to repost, but for those who don’t have twitter.

https://fixupx.com/ywnreporter/status/1812648353169060042?s=46&t=M5NDkOw1JOReIpB15FnUoQ

[winter basin]

I thought there were counter snipers on each of the three barns note "Counter Sniper #2" is fiction

[ripe forge]

I don't think the middle team would have had any significant improvement in view from the other two, but that makes sense to me.

[winter basin]

its an odds game

[sharp peak]

I haven't seen anything showing a team on the middle barn (and that barn is shorter than the other two so not the best place to set up) but please share any footage you have of anyone there

[winter basin]

more redundancy less risk

[steady river]

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/thomas-matthew-crooks-trump-shooting-bethel-park-20240714.html

[lunar dirge]

the location of the gunman's body on the roof is pretty exact from the aftermath helicopter footage. these maps are just imprecise because they are giving birds eye overviews and also not always made with precise input from OSINT teams. future endeavors will probably be more precise

[ripe forge]

Indeed I used the aftermath footage for my observer point placement for the shooter in my viewshed analysis.

[winter basin]

The watershed from the stage gives and indication of how many vantage points there are

[winter basin]

here: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1252942622843207701/1262211645845930045/Fig3_Trump_Visibility.jpeg?ex=6695c5b3&is=66947433&hm=b3636a9d334e618f3038199140db94564875db0b2e31c7c1003e347f66c85db6&

[mental rune]

Ok, for those who wants to attempt to sync the video of Trump's speech to the video that Aric posted. And using the video of Trump's speech. It seems like the video starts around the 4:59 minute mark of the speech.

Just for reference, 1st shot is fired around 6:58 In the Forbes video.

https://www.youtube.com/live/NL0W5fMt6pU?si=3XczR2zZT4fmmsTW&t=300

[ripe forge]

The original position I had for the southern team wasn't quite in the right place on the roof slope, but this version shows both teams and zooms out a bit so you can see get a better sense of the coverage they had. I updated all the rest to match this but I don't want to spam. DM requests are open for server mutuals if you have any questions or would like to use this in any way.

[heavy halo]

Excellent work! Two questions: is it possible to add the two up into one picture? And is it possible to change the colour/brightness to better highlight the uncovered areas?

(Though maybe the latter is because I’m on mobile.)

[ripe forge]

Yeah I set it up as a project so I just have to tweak some things. One moment.

[heavy halo]

Again we’re constrained by the start of a video, but now we’re at least two minutes before the shooting.

[ripe forge]

@heavy halo this what you meant?

[heavy halo]

Yes! It highlights the gaps. Great!

I am absolutely no expert, but this dude may have been in the ideal spot for what he wanted to do.

[ripe forge]

Almost. If he had been just a few feet further east it probably would have taken them a lot longer to get a return shot on target.

Though perhaps the grandstands would have been in the way.

[heavy halo]

Ugh, I just want to rotate this to see the margins. #1261812072103022593 message

[winter basin]

whoops

This would have increased the shooters' odds not that I want to advocate that, purely academic

[ripe forge]

There were supposedly 4 sniper teams. Do we know both the barn teams were USSS? Apparently two of the teams were locally provided.

Do we know where either of the other two teams were located even?

[heavy halo]

I think team 1 was USSS and team 2 local. Does this look like POLICE on his vest? #1261812072103022593 message

[winter basin]

Did anyone take time to look at the USSS press conference, I have too many pots on the boil to watch the entire thing at the moment

[wanton ether]

yes.

UNITED STATES
    POLICE
SECRET SERVICE

[humble mango]

If we're thinking of the same one, they were reaffirming that the RNC will be fully secured and that no plans have changed on that front

They also refused to answer any questions relating to this event,

Will look around for any recording of it, but it was a big ol nothingburger so might have to dig through livestream archives.

[humble mango]

https://www.youtube.com/live/st0WVu-Cit4?si=Z0zoOMIGvLg93H7Z

[sharp peak]

I’ll try processing this video into a 3d model in the morning so this can be done but if anyone sees a clearer version or one without all the watermarks please let me know! https://youtu.be/MQPhD4sEdqE?feature=shared

[ripe forge]

If you get a good point cloud of the stage area/grandstands I could align that with the lidar and rerun my analysis pretty easily incorporating the additional geometry.

[tranquil scroll]

I don’t know when this video was made- obviously before the Rally. But hopefully it may be of some use. I apologize if this video has already been posted here.
https://x.com/i/status/1812315524744757653

VideoMixtape.com (@VideoMixtape_) on X

Aerial view of Butler Farm Show Grounds in Butler County, Pennsylvania where Former President Donald Trump was shot at by shooter and taken down by Secret Service snipers.

Twitter · Jul 14, 2024, 2:37 AM

[broken helm]

i think this is just rotating the gmaps 3d imagery?

[tranquil scroll]

It’s not sped up drone footage?

[winter basin]

This answers the question about timelines, in response to #1261812072103022593 message

[tranquil scroll]

As the POV circles around the area, the angle at which the features are visible on the ground changes. Notice how you can see multiple walls of buildings from varying perspectives throughout the video. I don't think just rotating a satellite image would give that result.

[winter basin]

@restive helm what were you saying about the playbook?

[broken helm]

this is a direct screenshot of gmaps, looks pretty similar they obth have that weird glitchy water tower

[tranquil scroll]

That is weird. Do you mind sharing a link to where this screenshot is from? All I have is a video.

Wait, is this from globe view?

[wanton ether]

another attendee angle. non-graphic.

https://fixupx.com/STPCHS_Oblivion/status/1812704777685610610

[broken helm]

yeah

[tranquil scroll]

Silly me. I’m not used to looking at parts of the world where this feature is useful.

[rain briar]

I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet but the Shooter donated to Progressive Turnout Project on January 20th, the day of Bidens inauguration

E.: Source https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202102049425405473

Okay it was mentioned here before:
#usa-canada message

[vivid glacier]

No. Essentially the opposite. Source for this image appears to have been a Twitter troll account. But it got picked up, even by some news outlets.

[heavy halo]

Some background on USSS. So not directly related, but interesting I think. https://t.co/Tih0El5o3Z

[humble mango]

https://x.com/DemolitionRanch/status/1812456295061995645?t=UuO3KMEubaYOEhxSrddm2g&s=19

https://x.com/DemolitionRanch/status/1812615395683271127?t=IlJibhdOLAiL3EyEJts0ow&s=19

Just about full confirmation that it was indeed a Demolition Ranch T-shirt.

7/15 edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAnvLjavON0

[echo yacht]

As such I have deleted this image because it was an uninvolved person @broken fog

Before uploading pictures of people you think are the shooter DM @daring shard

[echo yacht]

At :35 you can hear someone yell "officer", and I wonder if that summoned the police officer who climbed up and had to drop

[viral wave]

Has anyone seen a source for where the ladder came from? Early speculation was that LE put it there to access the roof, but it appears it was already there for that officer to climb up. Do we know if the shooter brought it or just found it?

[mental rune]

Haven't seen any more info regarding the ladder. But with that said, Google Street View has footage from November 2023 of the parking lot of the building complex next to the area where the building is located.

Looks like it is a delivery dock for a warehouse/light industrial building right there with a bunch of pallets and other stuff right nearby. I don't know how well cleaned up the area was when the rally took place.

But with that said, as of the google street view image, and it's a bit of speculation on my part, but it's very possible that even without a ladder, the shooter could of made his way up onto the roof of the building next door, and worked his way towards the roof where he took the shots.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8585758,-79.97024,3a,90y,267.21h,93.56t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sqeFDjPznHvuZ4Z8jN8n5Qw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DqeFDjPznHvuZ4Z8jN8n5Qw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.share%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26yaw%3D267.21035995917964%26pitch%3D-3.5623434333805477%26thumbfov%3D90!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205410&entry=ttu

Edit: With that said, only issue with this theory is that it would certainly cause a lot of noise.

[spring falcon]

According to reporting from Robert Evans, the ladder was already there. https://x.com/IwriteOK/status/1812320668136182149

Robert Evans (The Only Robert Evans) (@IwriteOK) on X

I am talking to an individual who works in the building where the shooter was posted. Building does not have inside cameras. They think access likely gained via area circled in photo.

They do not recall Secret Service or law enforcement sweeping building prior to event

Twitter · Jul 14, 2024, 2:58 AM

[willow reef]

I think it's actually the blue circled area here, the picture I saw with the ladder had a tree in the 'dead area'. Where the red truck is on Googls Maps

[potent dagger]

Maybe the trees would get in the way too but I think that it would've worked better for him, very cool analysis!

[cinder moon]

The ladder was put up there on Saturday. Unclear if it's the shooter or police/secret service who did it.

Also: https://x.com/Tom_Winter/status/1812922074047914250

Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) on X

NBC News: The FBI has accessed the phone of Thomas Crooks, the alleged Trump shooter, and based on the preliminary analysis of the phone the information has NOT helped the FBI determine what Crooks’ motive was for shooting at Trump, according to a senior U.S. law enforcement

Twitter · Jul 15, 2024, 6:47 PM

[wary pier]

yeah, I don't think we're going to get much of a motive

[mental rune]

Found a better photo showing the ladder,

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/15/16/87356625-13635887-Chillingly_some_images_show_a_ladder_hidden_by_dense_shrubbery_p-a-23_1721057746495.jpg

Unfortunately it's the daily mail.

With that said, for those trying to get a layout of the area after the shooting. The daily mail has a drone shot video of the area post shooting. Unfortunately, I don't know who originally filmed the video and when it was filmed.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13635887/trump-shooter-thomas-matthew-crooks-images-roof.html

[willow reef]

That's the one. Definitely not a permanent feature. There's no way the shooter just walked in with a ladder surely

[mental rune]

Quick question, has it been revealed where the shooter's vehicle was located, and what type of vehicle it was?

[humble mango]

Given the lack of a car in initial reports- It's not entirely impossible he walked

[winter basin]

@ripe forge posted this ladder picture about 12+ hours ago #research-leads message

[spring falcon]

https://www.wtae.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-gunman-thomas-crooks-explosives/61591358

[humble mango]

Yeah- that report came out when they started searching the shooter's house.

[spring falcon]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/would-be-trump-assassin-explosives-car-parked-near-rally-bomb-making-materials-home-reports

[humble mango]

yeah specifically this segment makes me believe his car may have been left in the driveway. There's been no reports of the bomb squad near the venue- only at his house.

[spring falcon]

It was parked bear the rally it seems

[molten condor]

https://www.404media.co/fbi-gains-access-to-suspected-trump-shooters-password-locked-phone/

[ripe forge]

I don't think that vehicle was on the scene though, I looked really hard to figure out where he parked and got nothing. That report came up when they searched his house like an hour away.

[spring falcon]

Yeah, I think they found explosives in the car and house

[ripe forge]

I was curious how far he walked with the rifle, vest and ladder, assuming he put it there even if it was found on the site.

[spring falcon]

I recall seeing a report he lives about an hour drive away

[humble mango]

Yeah- there's chaos. He might have had 2 cars?

[spring falcon]

He could have had access to his parents vehicle

[humble mango]

There's also the angle that this was premeditated, because the venue was announced a bit prior of course-

I believe the ladder is part of the structure, but that tree could provide cover to hide something to retrieve later. If that building has CCTV they're likely going through every second for the past weeks

[spring falcon]

I'm pretty sure it was premeditated. Honestly, the way his classmates talked about him.. loner, bullied, likes guns... alot of school shooter vibes.

Saw an bigger fish for fame and took it instead of shooting up a school.

Ok. I found a second source for the car thing. https://time.com/6998557/thomas-matthew-crooks-trump-rally-shooter-fbi-motive/

"Left behind explosive materials
The FBI said that, when it searched Crooks’ home and vehicle to collect additional evidence, suspicious devices were found and have been “rendered safe” by bomb technicians. According to the Washington Post, officials said a “rudimentary” explosive device was found in his vehicle and has since been rendered safe and is being analyzed. The car, the Wall Street Journal reported, was parked near the rally."

So it wasn't AT the rally but near it

[thin lark]

https://x.com/ElizLanders/status/1812930476904227258

Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) on X

A Secret Service source confirms to @scrippsnews that the agency did not sweep the building where the shooter was able to climb to the rooftop & position himself to take aim at the former president. Source adds building was outside their perimeter, local LE would handle that area

Twitter · Jul 15, 2024, 7:21 PM

[neon jetty]

Picture shared above looks like a stepladder. It could have been there a while or attached directly. We'd need older pictures to see when it got there

[haughty prism]

https://youtu.be/GUDsz1Ge6h8?si=bgJoSOSrPZ8csMXX intresting/relevant info about the shooter t-shirt the shooter was wearing was of a pro gun YouTube channel called demolition ranch he’s always been republican but never voted on the day of joe biddens election he donated to a progressive political activist committee fbi found sus devices in his home he was bullied at school and graduated 2 years ago just realised most of this has already been said but good summary

[neon jetty]

2d google maps view on mobile doesn't seem to have anything resembling a ladder

[crystal tide]

When is that pic from though?

[celest cairn]

He bought the ladder and brought it himself

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/15/us/thomas-crooks-trump-rally-shooting-invs/index.html

[neon jetty]

I'm not sure. Can't see the dates on mobile.

Coords:
40.8583600, -79.9703595

[cobalt swallow]

https://youtu.be/zqKEHR0lvdg trump~~ about to speak~~ at the rnc. we'll he's in the building and they're introducing him idk if he'll talk.

[high crystal]

3 hours in, he hasn't spoken yet.

[cobalt swallow]

he was introduced and just walked in the building when i posted that. but im unsure if he'll give a speech or not

[high crystal]

OK he's in the audience looking... just the way he usually looks. At least we know he's really there.

[wary pier]

It's very strange he was able to build an explosive device like that without researching it online

[neon jetty]

Local news now reporting law enforcement saw the shooter nearly 30 minutes prior to shots fired

Sounds like the source is the neighboring county emergency service unit. beaver county is immediately west of Butler (northwest of pgh) and is very connected socially and economically

https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/alleged-trump-shooter-spotted-by-law-enforcement-nearly-30-minutes-before-shots-fired-sources-say/Q6GIK5RP6RBY5PHIMYBNXRTEBI/

[neon jetty]

Best I can do rn. Satellite from 2013 so not helpful at all. Street view looks newer, stamp on it says 2023c and newer model cars in parking lot. However the trees partially block the view.

Not seeing anything that's proving the reporting WRONG at least

[wanton ether]

FYI, in case you overlooked it (initially I did):
#1261812072103022593 message

On Friday, he went to a shooting range where he was a member, and practiced firing, a law enforcement official told CNN. The next morning, Crooks went to a Home Depot, where he bought a five-foot ladder, and a gun store, where he purchased 50 rounds of ammunition, the official said.
...
Then, Crooks drove his Hyundai Sonata about an hour north, ... Then, investigators believe, he used his newly-bought ladder to scale a nearby building, and opened fire on the former president.

[neon jetty]

Thanks, I saw. I just know people also said afterward that the ladder was attached and wanted to show that it wasn't. Some initial reporting said that there was a ladder there and made it seem like it was a building feature (not uncommon) but it could have been a different ladder.

Also, that picture looks a bit bigger than any 5 foot step ladder I've seen at home depot. That one looks to be a 10 footer

[neon jetty]

9 rungs. 10 feet. Orange sides, black top.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Louisville-Ladder-10-ft-Fiberglass-Step-Ladder-with-375-lbs-Load-Capacity-Type-IAA-Duty-Rating-FS1410HD/300388382

[willow reef]

The candidate usually doesn't speak until the last night. Trump isn't really a norms guy though

[muted belfry]

https://youtube.com/shorts/z6XU5oELFPQ

[clear shoal]

Has anyone seen any material/video that would support this? 30 minutes prior is quite mad

[tidal pawn]

Which video is this?

[humble mango]

Couple of quotes that caught my eye

"In a sign that his attack could have been even more destructive, Crooks had a remote control detonator on his body, and his car’s trunk contained a metal box of explosives that was connected with wires to a receiver, the law enforcement source said."

"The shooter’s parents, who have been cooperating with law enforcement since the shooting, have told investigators that Crooks did not appear to have friends and did not appear to have any political leanings, a law enforcement official told CNN. But they didn’t seem to know much about what was going on in his life recently, law enforcement sources said."

2nd part is bizarre because it heavily contradicts what his classmates were saying

[thin lark]

Fox news reporting it was a DPMS AR-15 purchased by his dad over 10 years ago.
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/trump-rally-shooting-fbi-investigation-attempted-assassination-july-16

[solemn holly]

https://homeland.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-07-14-Green-to-Mayorkas-DHS-re-Assassination-Attempt-on-President-Trump.pdf

[jagged lake]

why is Donald Trump still referred to as president? is it a title for life? shouldn't it be former president?

[cinder moon]

Just a quirk of English. Titles like President, Senator, etc. sometimes 'retained' for life.

[rare tundra]

I disagree - it is a deliberate rhetorical choice made by some publications. Ask yourself when the last time you heard Hillary Clinton as referred to as Secretary Clinton? There are some situations in which it is protocol to call someone by the last title they held, but the cases you read "president trump" are not among them. Apologies for the derail.

[mental rune]

Just saw this segment from a CNN article, and it might explain why/how the cop on the ladder was able to get to the roof before the shooter took the shots at Trump, as reported earlier by authorities.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/16/politics/secret-service-trump-rally-blame/index.html

[mental rune]

Hold on a second, regarding the article I just posted about the Butler County Sniper Team regarding the 2nd story aspect.

Presuming the sniper team was on the neighboring building as it is a 2 story building with Windows facing the area where trump was speaking. Where the building the shooter took the shot from was only one story(going by the window placement). This has to be where they were located.

With that said, can someone calculate the sight lines from each window of the 2nd story building in that image if possible, in relation to the other sight line maps/diagrams we have from the known locations of the Secret Service snipers.

[humble mango]

They were in the same complex the shooter shot from.
Paging @winter basin because you might need to update the "view map" if this gets fully confirmed.

Seems to be the only two story building in a fair radius here.

The would-be assassin picked a sniping spot directly next to the local police sniping team's spot.

I can see where some potential confusion could arise if USSS spotted him first, and the local police couldn't.

Especially if people on the ground next to the building point up and say "He's got a gun!"

Local police (on the ground*) would likely think "oh that's our dude, inside the building", and not "someone climbed on the roof next to them."

[mental rune]

With that said, see the aerial footage of the building on July 13 (presumably after the shooting) from this clip of ABC Nightly News at 1:20
https://youtu.be/6tReC8aNS0A?si=M3sjpsdfTDRJYYBn&t=80

[solemn holly]

mentions of trump in across online news sources since 2017 https://api.gdeltproject.org/api/v2/summary/summary?d=web&t=summary&k=trump&ts=full&svt=annotzoom&stt=yes&stc=yes&sta=list&c=1

[humble mango]

Found what seems to be the original of the tiktok video just prior to the shooting, next to the building the shooter was at

||https://www.tiktok.com/@djlaughatme/video/7391601943560326443||

Important note- them yelling "He's on the roof!" probably prompted the shooter to fire earlier than he wanted to- He likely heard them. (Might actually turn towards the lady yelling- footage is lower quality- hard to tell. He does certainly "scramble" a little faster after this.)

[mental rune]

Screenshot from ABC News Aerial Footage (going to spoiler tag it as it's blurry but it looks like the shooters corpse might be present.

[wanton ether]

[it's present.]

also interesting the proximity and sightlines from window to shooter.

[mental rune]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/trump-assassination-attempt-live-updates-motive-still-unclear-secret-s-rcna162070/rcrd46359?canonicalCard=true

[thin lark]

First details I've seen on the explosive device:

In a sign that his attack could have been even more destructive, Crooks had a remote control detonator on his body, and his car’s trunk contained a metal box of explosives that was connected with wires to a receiver, the law enforcement source said.

That suggests the gunman may have been planning to set off an explosion remotely, and investigators are considering the theory that he may have been planning a distraction during the shooting.

It’s unclear how Crooks assembled the explosive devices found in his car. Investigators parsing through his online search history haven’t found any indication of him researching how to make home-made explosives, law enforcement officials said.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/15/us/thomas-crooks-trump-rally-shooting-invs/index.html

[wary pier]

Yeah I read this last night, it's quite odd he was able to build a remotely controlled explosive without any sort of searches online

[hot pond]

Coulda used a burner phone. Couldve had a hard copy of instructions

[severe meteor]

Local library, internet cafe etc. Might not have done it at home, if he did search online the FBI will probably try trace movements over the last few weeks at least and track it to somewhere.

[wary pier]

Even so, covering your tracks like that is quite difficult. Especially now that the full weight of the federal government ic is looking at this

[hot pond]

I wouldn't put that much stock in them establishing that kind of detail that quickly.

[signal root]

Perhaps he was savvy enough to use TheOnionRouter for research and deleted it the day of from his machine.

[wary pier]

He could've used something like tails too and just dumped the boot media somewhere. I would be surprised though that he was that cautious

Then again we know he wasn't carrying ID so he may have been actively trying to conceal things

[ripe forge]

Was the device actually functional? I also saw that they were "rudimentary" explosives from one source I can't remember where.

[heavy halo]

We can only speculate. Or we could, if that was this server was for… 😉

[gleaming parcel]

I thought about that actually. Totally untraceable

[winter basin]

Apparently that is factual. I was doing a computer vision project on improvised explosive devices to make an app for service people in hostile territory to look at the insides of electronic equipment and look for components that transmit to trigger IEDs and was looking for imagery of these devices and the defense researchers I was working with said “Welcome to the list”

[winter basin]

Image without markup is here, MSPAINT.EXE will do the trick https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1252942622843207701/1262189925848187004/image.png?ex=6697abb8&is=66965a38&hm=0552ac2c066acc234222a0133bac43e12f02e45de352910aa63c8599f7840a25&

[thin lark]

FBI has a lab that evaluates whether IEDs were capable of functioning, and it's been reported that the device was sent for evaluation. There's several different points where failure can occur. It could be it didn't work, or he didn't try. The lab will make a determination of whether it was capable of functioning, and possibly if it failed to detonate. Two previous instances where their findings have been known was the man from Florida that mailed non-functioning (Maybe functional, finding conflicting articles) IEDs to George Soros and others, including CNN's main office, and the Pipe bomb found on January 6th. I wouldn't be surprised if the contents or summary of the FBI lab's report gets leaked to the press

[winter basin]

A few days late and a few dollars short: but here is a Wavefront OBJ 3d mesh of the site from LIDAR: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dsT3lwQ6Dqt2qwXD2roi-7b0wtDYR9jS/view?usp=drive_link normals are in a real state, so if needs some fix up original here: https://portal.opentopography.org/usgsDataset?dsid=PA_WesternPA_2_2019

[winter basin]

FYI

You can model over the top with polygons if you feel the need

[sharp peak]

The Washington Post published a great article using 3D models (based in part on the LiDAR data shared here) to show how the shooters position was hidden from the secret service by trees and the roof angle! https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2024/trump-rally-shooting-maps-secret-service-analysis/

[thin lark]

Great job! Gift link: https://wapo.st/3Lwyt6k

[tidal lark]

Is this using Rhino? Amazing and clarifying.

[lunar dirge]

Hey, came here to share our gift link but @thin lark and @sharp peak are ahead of me lol

We tried to be holistic with this analysis, although the headline and summary don't capture one of the key points, indeed possibly the most major failure: the fact that he was able to get onto the roof and stay there in the first place

Thanks to @sharp peak for pointing out the LiDAR data

@ripe forge 's viewshed analysis was also very useful to see

[winter basin]

You said it first : #1261812072103022593 message

[tranquil scroll]

You and your colleagues did a damn good job on this piece. Y’all put forward a very clear explanation of the setting, events and timeline. The slick graphics compliment the verbiage wonderfully on top of that.

Thank you

[winter basin]

Cool information design @lunar dirge , did you get the scoop on this for major publishers , or is your layout better? Top notch, I tip my hat to you.

[thin lark]

https://vxtwitter.com/NC5PhilWilliams/status/1813379458977472862
Also haven't seen it posted here, CNN did a live update 12 hours ago saying shooter had 3 remote controlled devices, 2 in car 1 at home, and body armor that he wasn't wearing.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-assassination-shot-07-16-24#h_7972ddbfa49069c045fe6ff9bb32b0bd

[humble mango]

Visual explainer for the scene- Seems to be heavily inspired by past visual investigations. On a first glance- info matches what has been reported.
https://youtu.be/aVA7aXOH1pk?si=4MoDfDXFdJ82mL9G

[lunar dirge]

@sharp peak now up on the methodology page 🫡

[humble mango]

This is a new video to me- Anyone seen this one of what seems to be the shooter walking around the building, looking up? (Notably- no backpack.)
https://fxtwitter.com/moment_mirthful/status/1813627647999766941

(Also trying to find original source- not having a fun time, everyone posted this at about the same damn time.)

He would be standing roughly under where the shots would be fired from here.

Also- for any potential ballistics mapping.

A video has been published from the northern (right of Trump) set of bleachers.

Pans over the crowd, then cuts to the direct aftermath where people are calling for paramedics for the bystander fatality.

Warning Again- A fatality is shown in the video.
||https://x.com/C3PMeme/status/1812605525844267181||

[thin lark]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/us/politics/trump-gunman-crooks-bombs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.700.Vrg6.UczgwoaD5_eU&smid=url-share

[dire anvil]

https://x.com/andrewdesiderio/status/1813666840671085036

Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) on X

NEWS — Senate briefing on Trump rally shooting just concluded. Top lines, per 2 senators on the call:

—The shooter visited the rally site a few days in advance to scope it out
—62 mins elapsed between the time the shooter was photographed as being suspicious and when he fired

Twitter · Jul 17, 2024, 8:07 PM

[humble mango]

Additional reporting-
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-rally-shooting-07-17-24/index.html

[wary pier]

"Shooter used encrypted comms"

[short sphinx]

https://twitter.com/DrSarteschi/status/1813176253186212326

Dr. Christine Sarteschi, LCSW (@DrSarteschi) on X

Mary Elizabeth Crooks and Matthew Brian Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, are licensed as professional counselors, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State Licensing System Verification service.

LPCs and social workers are not exactly the same, at least in PA. You

Twitter · Jul 16, 2024, 11:38 AM

[cinder moon]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/us/politics/secret-service-trump-shooting.html

[wary pier]

Thanks for this reporting

[cinder moon]

Steam wins for the Manifesto Sweepstakes https://x.com/BNONews/status/1813770297331593712

BNO News (@BNONews) on X

NEW: Review of Trump shooter's laptop found searches for Trump, Biden, 'when is DNC convention' and 'July 13 Trump rally'.

In a message on the gaming platform Steam, Crooks wrote: "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds" - Fox

Twitter · Jul 18, 2024, 2:58 AM

[mental rune]

Regarding the usage of Encrypted communications. From the AP

https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-rally-a1bcbaa4a604e09be8cc22893751895b

[wanton ether]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-shooter-told-boss-he-needed-day-off-before-assassination-attempt-gave-three-word-reason-report/ar-BB1q9NJi

Former President Trump's would-be assassin would have been at work on Saturday, but told his boss that he needed the day off because he had "something to do," according to reports.

...

But law enforcement sources told CNN that the 20-year-old told his boss that he would be back at work on Sunday.

[novel blaze]

We may not know his motives, but he really was an optimist.

[cinder moon]

Lmao they flubbed the Steam thing https://x.com/AricToler/status/1813959358956367964

Aric Toler (@AricToler) on X

CBS is now reporting that the Thomas Crooks Steam profile where he says that he'll make his "premiere" on July 13th is a fake.

It may have been this profile, which changed its name to Thomas Crooks on the day after the shooting.
https://t.co/YyvkuRnw67

Twitter · Jul 18, 2024, 3:29 PM

[willow reef]

Surely name changes would be one of the first things they'd check to verify the account

[wary pier]

surely

[lunar dirge]

big whoops!

[sharp peak]

This screenshot from a japanese news program gives the best view of the shooter's view I've seen so far - no clue where the base image for the graphic is from though https://news.goo.ne.jp/article/tbs/world/tbs-1295946.html

[jagged lake]

text is different. Premier vs premiere, capitals on each word -> “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” reads the message, Quote from The Verge https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/18/24201220/trump-rally-shooter-steam-warning-thomas-matthew-crooks

[cinder moon]

That's assuming that the message was transcribed exactly as it was written on Steam, which I am doubtfu lof considering they fell for a hoax in the first place

[wheat pewter]

Trump to give first speech after shooting in a matter of minutes
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1A_gdjHRE4k

[hard oasis]

I don't think it's just a quirk of English. I think his supporters are doing it purposefully as a way to say he's always been the President. Reinforcing the conspiracy theory that the election was stolen.

[sour solstice]

It’s both a potentially manipulative “rhetorical choice” and an utterly, utterly normal way (indeed the standard convention) to talk about former presidents in the United States. Most variation in style with this particular convention happens because of rhetorical context, not out of personal choice per se. That said, I don’t doubt that pro-Trump media opts in very intentionally to the convention even in rhetorical contexts where others wouldn’t for other presidents

(I am essentially trying to say that Aric is right that this is normal, while other commenters are probably also right in describing slimy weaponization of this convention by Trumpist media – but Aric is not wrong, and the two are not mutually exclusive)

[echo yacht]

There will also be in-house style guides in media orgs that direct all copy to use a certain term/title

[hard oasis]

I can't imagine any reputable in house style guides directing writers to refer to a former president as a current president. The proper rhetoric is to say "former president ______" for anyone not currently the president. You can even hear reporters correcting themselves if they slip up.

[wanton ether]

https://vxtwitter.com/OAlexanderDK/status/1814300337299165562

[cinder moon]

Not saying it's good or bad, just that it does happen and isn't always some big Stop The Steal political stateme'nt. Usually style guides will stress putting in former or whatever, but people will still refer to Hillary as Madame Secretary and Bill as Mister President.

[errant star]

As an American, I would also briefly say that some of it is in the background of a gradually changing culture around how much inherent respect and deference is shown to prior office-holders by way of titles.

[jagged lake]

I don't know about other (English-speaking) cultures but I have seen some Dutch media copy it 1:1 and in The Netherlands it doesn't make sense since. Since to our own minister president we use 'voormalig' (former), and I can't recall Dutch media did this mistake in past

[mental rune]

So this is interesting…

https://apnews.com/article/733811e02b1e609de6a9bc35f6b8c141

[wary pier]

Would love to know what type of DJI drone this was.

[humble mango]

https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-gunman-flew-drone-over-rally-site-hours-before-attempted-assassination-2d0e2e1a

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/20/thomas-matthew-crooks-drone-trump-

Unique thing with Ethan Crumbley- his parents were charged because they failed to act on their son's very obvious red flags, and in some instances, helped cause the shooting*

*(bought their 14 yr old kid who self reported hearing "voices in his head" a gun, and also refused to take him from the school after he wrote down on a test that "[his] life is useless"- He would commit his shooting the same day.)

Very interesting lil part.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/19/us/gunman-thomas-crooks-trump-shooting.html

I find this section of the NYT article to sum up my feelings about this the best

[sharp peak]

The Temporary Flight Restriction prohibiting flights in the vicinity of the rally site only went into effect at 4:20 PM (local time) on the 13th so any flight before then would have been completely legal, presuming it complied with all other FAA regulations, and as such probably went unnoticed. https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_0050.html

[willow reef]

It's kind of been my feelings from the start. Seems he aged out of being a school shooter so had to improvise.

[pearl plaza]

iirc there's a bit of a pattern with would be presidential assassins usually leaning away from the politics side of it (the mansons shot at ford, garfield was killed by a guy who saw the ghost of mckinley - which was killed by a guy that thought he should be ambassador of france, hinckley wanted to impress jodie foster)

[short sphinx]

The only fact that I can't wrap my head around is that he was completely focused on the former president, and could have shot many civilians easily. It appears the three civilian victims were not intended.

[novel blaze]

Or that he had priorities and ran out of time

[humble mango]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/21/politics/trump-assassination-attempt-independent-review-mayorkas/index.html

Can't wait to wait 5 years for this, and another 65 for it to be declassified.

[humble mango]

https://fxtwitter.com/OAlexanderDK/status/1815540065407504581?t=bDeOWG3C8oPhZPDwqsrEZw&s=19

[mental rune]

There is also this, take it with a grain of salt, as it is from the New York Post.

https://nypost.com/2024/07/18/us-news/trump-gunman-thomas-crooks-used-bike-to-scout-rally/

Yeah, I have some serious questions ...

[vivid glacier]

I find those stories to be remarkable non-credible when they continue to use debunked photos of the “shooter.”

[thin lark]

Someone at the NYT needs to teach the secret service viewshed analysis so they know where to look from now on
How the Trump Rally Gunman Had an Edge Over the Countersnipers https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/23/us/trump-shooting-gunman-snipers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9U0.FoAj.biJiDCJNE_ri

[humble mango]

If you're referring to this one- I'm fairly confident it is of the shooter. It was *** One of the images includes a cropped version of the shooter's body.***
(photo geolocation by Oliver Alexander https://x.com/OAlexanderDK/status/1815540065407504581/photo/1)

In fact- Sen. Ron Johnson states this in his preliminary report.
https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/services/files/4E6577F1-8AD2-4CB9-9FC7-5896C27A9647

[cinder moon]

This is wrong. This is just some random guy who brought his bike to the rally. (I'm 100% sure, not just from this Tiktok video) https://www.tiktok.com/@channel5tiktok/video/7393111345480174879

[mental rune]

Yeah, I figured it was disinfo and didn't see the other channel until now, I will move it over to there.

With that aside, considering the obvious fact that the shooters car was nearby, as I was about to say logically speaking, how do you carry an AR-15, ammo, and a ladder on a bike without raising suspicion.

[wanton ether]

Unless it's been established, he could've stashed things during his scouting excursions.

[cinder moon]

He didn't take a ladder with him. Apparently left the stepstool he bought at Home Depot in his car. The ladder you see propped up on the buliding is from police/Secret Service/whatever.

[wanton ether]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/23/politics/secret-service-director-kimberly-cheatle/index.html

[sharp peak]

A lot of people, including US Senator Chuck Grassley (https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_to_dhs_usss_-_operational_security_plan.pdf) have been asking if the secret service operated a drone to provide overwatch for the rally - Drones providing overwatch is something that's been done in the past. Here's a photo I took of a DJI Matrice 300 or 350 operating near the Fulton County Jail less than 4 minutes before Trump arrived for his booking there last August. I'm not sure if this drone was being operated by the Secret Service or by local law enforcement but at least one nearby police department operates Matrice 300s https://www.policemag.com/patrol/article/15352357/drones-on-patrol

[mental rune]

Ok, Grassley posted some bodycam footage post shooting, anybody want to id the gun which was located near the corpse of the shooter and possible sight here, and try to confirm it with what was reported.

Source: Tweet from Chuck Grassley twitter showing body cam footage from a Butler County Law enforcement on top of the roof after the shooting occured, spoiled tagged the tweet, as the only the upper half of the shooter is censored.

||https://x.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1815875286283538663||

[mental rune]

Regarding the drone, unfortunately I don’t know about whether or not a drone was being used before Trump was shot. But in the bodycam footage from the tweet that Chuck Grassley’s posted, if you listen to the background radio chatter. Around the 2:45 mark in the video, you can hear someone ask to use the drone to assist in searching and clearing the water tower.

Granted, the body cam footage was filmed about an hour after the first shots were fired. So either they had a drone available beforehand, or someone brought a drone while responding to the shootings.

[humble mango]

It appears they are indeed talking about the "looking down" photo as being taken by the local sniper. (Gray shirt, looks like a face on the top right corner looking left- rough enough match. Cannot get a clearer image because they blurred the phone somewhat when it's close to the camera. to the released image I've also attached.)

Absolutely insane that the police sniper was practically directly over him at one point.

Weirdly in the report, it appears that one one of the two snipers assigned to that building spotted Crooks, spotted the bike, then left to relay information on the ground floor. Wasn't there supposed to be two in there or is there a fog of war situation going on here?

[humble mango]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/23/politics/pennsylvania-state-police-commissioner-reveals-stunning-info-about-trump-shooting/index.html

A new report by CNN says both left now.

[errant star]

The Secret Service is always more resource-constrained during presidential election years, but it probably doesn't help when the local police don't secure their own command post.

[thin lark]

It was reported it was a DPMS AR-15 purchased by the shooter's father about 10 years ago. Hard to confirm it's a DPMS from that picture but looks like an AR-15 instead of like an AR-10 to me
#1261812072103022593 message

[mental rune]

Ok, regarding Drones, looks like the FBI director has confirmed that the shooter used a drone before the rally, per CNN.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/24/politics/fbi-wray-house-hearing-trump-shooting/index.html

With that said, I do find this timing quite interesting, as the Temporary Flight Restriction for the rally didn't go in effect until 2020 UTC (4:20 PM EDT)
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_0050.html

[mental rune]

Note: If the link doesn't' work, here is a copy of the Temporary Flight Restriction from the FAA's website.

[hollow remnant]

There's an argument to be made against the use of "low cost"/low altitude drones when the VIP is present as it could greatly increase confusion in the case of a drone (or "any" actually) attack.
It's much easier to treat every drone as a threat than having to identify a friendly one.
That doesn't prevent you from using them before the VIP arrives though.

I also wonder what kind of EW stuff they have at hands but that's most likely secret stuff. Is there any OSINT on that, like someone recording frequencies or reporting issues with their phones? Is it legal to record this kind of stuff?
I'd say "yes but you'll get a free interview by the FBI/SS" but I really don't know.

[thin lark]

This is a wild statement from FBI Director, seeing as there's been no reports/claims that it was an AR "pistol" or short barrel rifle by US legal definitions, so no suggestion it was shorter than the US legal standard for a rifle: at least 16 inch barrel and overall length of at least 26 inches. A collapsible stock isn't going to affect that. There are folding stock modifcations you can make for an AR-15, but he's not claiming that was used
https://vxtwitter.com/braxton_mccoy/status/1816156850561376342

A rifle is subject to the NFA only if the rifle has a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length. A weapon made from a rifle is also a firearm subject to the NFA if the weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length.
https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/rifle-firearm-subject-nfa#:~:text=A rifle is subject to,than 16 inches in length.

[sturdy ginkgo]

https://fxtwitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1816274358761095670

are we still talking about the glass ? didnt find much in the search

[novel blaze]

It went so speculative due to lack of evidence for glass shard that further discussions ceased. Also no potential glass source nearby was shattered.

[sour solstice]

Which statement are you referring to? All he said was, essentially, the collapsible stock may have rendered the weapon more concealable. Hardly ‘wild’, more like ‘hard to disagree with’

[cinder moon]

Lucky for you, new glass/bullet investigation out a few hours ago: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/26/us/politics/trump-shooter-bullet-trajectory-ear.html

Spoiler: bullet

[errant star]

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/finally-word-from-the-fbi-about-the-trump-story-the-press-has-refused-to-question "Four local police officers who were just feet away from Trump when the shots were fired also received minor injuries from flying debris from the bullets."

[errant star]

Is there any corroboration of the "everyone else around just got hit with debris/shrapnel" claim?

[errant star]

https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/shots-fired-trump-rally-donald-trump-rushed-off-stage/GRXLQ67PEVDPDKDPNNE3AEGMGU/ "11 Investigates has learned that four Pittsburgh police officers assigned to the former president’s motorcade yesterday suffered minor injuries during the shooting.

The four motorcycle officers were part of Donald Trump’s escort to and from the rally in Butler.

Sources tell Chief Investigator Rick Earle the officers were just feet away from Trump when shots rang out. The four officers suffered minor injuries from flying debris caused by the bullets.

Sources say the officers were hit with either plastic or metal fragments when the bullets struck objects nearby."

[heavy halo]

Clearly there were several people who were shot, including the deadly victim, as the NYT article sets out.

[errant star]

https://apnews.com/article/trump-bullet-shrapnel-ronny-jackson-christopher-wray-cb780b9d1a078f0be4191682e75101cf The FBI now says: “What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle,”

[cinder moon]

Gift link -- some new info we got detailed here. Texts/after action report from Beaver County SWAT/Emergency.

Some interesting stuff, but the most revelatory bit: a sniper saw and flagged Crooks at 4:26pm, who saw/was aware of the local sniper positions. Previous reporting had the first sighting of him as suspicious at 5:10pm.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/28/us/politics/trump-shooting-thomas-crooks-secret-service.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-k0.UWYX.8hl_BNCK8uGc&smid=url-share

[humble mango]

what the fuck? Buried the lede here.- "Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars"

(also- whoops ping.)

[cinder moon]

I think they were just mistaken on that. Crooks parked a ways south of there. Same as their false lead with the bicycle.

[humble mango]

He was also likely sitting here- if I were to guess, looking directly at the stage (Well, there's a bench out front aswell- could be either)

[cinder moon]

Yep, idk if he was looking at the stage, but he was at this table

[humble mango]

It's all so confusing, I could see this being another Paddock situation where this will just gnaw on the back of my brain forever about the underlying motive
(removed the ping this time go me)

[heavy halo]

Remember these are assumptions and conclusions that were made at the time. If I see a stranger loitering in the building I also make some snap decisions.

(And they may not be consistent or correct.)

[cinder moon]

Yeah in all the interviews I've done on this, I've mentioned that as a comparison -- will probably create even more conspiracies than Paddock too, who has a whole lot

[cinder moon]

Yep exactly, it's easy to Monday morning quarterback everything that happened with our foresight now. They followed a few false leads (e.g. some homeless guy propped his bike near where Crooks was, so they assumed it was Crooks' bike) and did a bad job pursuing him (they were looking in the northern part of the AGR complex, Crooks was on the southernmost building). But I still can't believe they didn't include this building in the original SS perimeter.

[thin lark]

https://x.com/olivialarinaldi/status/1818293536288113073

Olivia Rinaldi (@olivialarinaldi) on X

The FBI deputy director says they found an account that could be attributed to Thomas Crooks that shows over 700 comments reflecting anti-Semitic & anti-immigration thoughts from 2019 to 2020.

FBI has not ultimately confirmed the account belongs to Crooks but says it’s notable.

Twitter · Jul 30, 2024, 2:32 PM

[mental rune]

Listening/Watching to the senate hearing from the current Secret Service Director, and he definitely did his homework and visited the shooting site, unlike his counterpart the previous USSS director who resigned after the House hearing last week.

[cinder moon]

Fascinating, I wonder if it's legit. Have been thinking about how this relates to the Torba claim of him having a pro-immigration/asylum Gab account in February 2021. Either he just changed his views (he was a super-online teenager, after all), or one of them is wrong. My pet theory is they found another account with the same username as the Gab one, and thought it may be him (when it may not be).

[mental rune]

With that said, I know his job is to defend the integrity of the USSS in this hearing, but he is definitely making a good point on how the local sniper team in the ARG building dropped the ball.

First off, here is a view from the ARG building, along with a reenactment what the local sniper team would of saw if they looked left. The Gold Arrorw is where the shooter was located.

[thin lark]

Yeah I'm very skeptical especially after their last blunder.

[mental rune]

Also here is a reenactment done by the USSS after the fact showing the view the Local Sniper Team would of seen if they had looked left.

Here is another one with a recreation from another USSS agent showing the level of exposure the shooter would of had in order to make a shot.

[cinder moon]

Here's the Beaver County ESU/SWAT after-action report for those who haven't seen. Some very interesting maps in there with all the sniper positions. https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/beaver_county_fpotus_after_action_redacted.pdf

Here is their detail plan ahead of the event: https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/butler_esu_djt_fpotus_detail_plan_redacted2.pdf

The Secret Service Director said they "recently" found video of Crooks walking between his car and the AGR building at around 5:56pm. He returned to the vehicle, got the backpack, and went back to AGR. There's also police dash cam footage showing him climbing the building.

[thin lark]

https://wapo.st/3WI7Ul3

[mental rune]

Regarding the Sheetz described in the Butler County AAR Timeline at 18:05.

It’s not indicated on any of there maps, but for here is its location for reference.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/hnBhsovSPCNZcw8T8?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

[lunar dirge]

Came here to share and Trevor beat me again

This one was an osint/sources combo, since without the sources we would not have found out that the Butler County ESU officer fired at Crooks from the ground, or where he fired from

It introduces a whole new angle on the quick reaction 9th shot that seems to have prompted Crooks to cease fire and reposition himself

[hasty ingot]

https://x.com/BasedTorba/status/1818311922560774188
@cinder moon if you are looking to the shooters social media profiles, it would seem the CEO of Gab released his

Andrew Torba (@BasedTorba) on X

BREAKING: The FBI is now claiming that the Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks had an unspecified "social media account" in 2019/2020 (when he was 14/15 years old) that posted "anti-immigrant and anti-semitic" content.

This is not consistent with Gab's understanding of the

Twitter · Jul 30, 2024, 3:45 PM

[cinder moon]

Yes he replied to me with this a while ago 🙂

[humble mango]

...Sorry, but I've been thinking this since this initially came out- That is a super vague username. The odds that someone else also grabbed the handle is certainly not 0. GAB jumping to "This is 100% Crooks" feels... disingenuous at worst. The fact that the FBI asked for it does indicate there was some sort of link- but since the FBI have not gone out and said this is another account for the shooter makes me think this was an unrelated 3rd party at the current moment.

Also- the way the FBI talked about this indicates that this is not account that is believed to be Crook's
https://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/deputy-director-abbates-opening-statement-to-the-joint-hearing-of-the-senate-judiciary-and-homeland-security-and-governmental-affairs-committees

https://x.com/BasedTorba/status/1816180238918824255

Especially of note is the "Active in the 2019-2020 timeframe",
The screenshots sent by the CEO of GAB shows a timestamp of early 2021,

This could still be a mistake from the director- but the extreme vagueness of this "2nd account that had differing views" (Not quoted in the direct transcript btw! Very annoying!) adds so much wiggle room for conspiracies and i don't like that.

There is also the possibility that this is a similar situation to what a mass shooter from 2017 did online- He didn't really have any personal morals, just liked to troll and get everyone he talked to upset at him.

[woeful garden]

Sounds very much like one of the autogenerated handles of say, Reddit. Wonder if Gab’s worked the same way

[humble mango]

There is another speech that is interesting to me here- Attached the parts that jumped out at me.
https://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/remarks-by-fbi-pittsburgh-special-agent-in-charge-kevin-rojek-at-press-briefing-on-the-investigation-of-the-butler-pennsylvania-assassination-attempt

Got into "shooting as a hobby" in late 2023 (..dont know how you'd prove that easily) , looked up powerplants (I might suspect this was late 2022/ early 2023 when the Moore County Substation attack occurred and might not be fully related.), and that the two IEDs in the shooter's car were capable to explode, statement is a bit vague if they would have properly functioned.

[cinder moon]

No it was input manually

[mental rune]

Ok, did some googling, and regarding the device photographed with the shooters body. And regarding your 2nd point about IEDs, I wasn’t able to completely nail down the specific model, but he was certainly carrying a 12 Button wireless remote controller. Don’t know the specifics remote he was carrying, but searching around via google and I think this is the closest to what he was carrying.

It’s not an exact match, but this is the closest to the one pictured in the AAR report.

https://www.remote-control-switch.com/products/12-button-long-range-5000-meters-wireless-remote-control-transmitter

[thin lark]

Haven't seen any released photos of the receivers, but:
"The receivers shown in photos from the report appear to be identical to a model (https://www.rfremotech.com/AlphaFire2BSeries.html) called Alpha Fire made by RFRemotech, a company based in Guangzhou, China.

The report shows that law enforcement officers recovered a set of 10 radio receivers from Mr. Crooks’s home along with electric matches. According to RFRemotech’s website, a set containing 12 Alpha Fire receivers and one transmitter can be ordered online for $192, while a set containing a second transmitter costs $216." 2 receivers were with the IEDs in his car.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/us/politics/trump-gunman-crooks-bombs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.700.Vrg6.UczgwoaD5_eU&smid=url-share
https://www.rfremotech.com/Transmitters252FRemotes.html

[mental rune]

Didn't see that reporting from the NY Times, but with that said, I do agree with their assessment as that is definitely the transmitter shown in the Beaver County After Action Report.

https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/beaver_county_fpotus_after_action_redacted.pdf

With that said, looking at the replay of the Senate Hearing with the director of the USSS, and this segment caught my attention from CSPAN replay at the 1:09:54.

Essentially, the Secret Service had a counter UAS operator available for the rally on July 13th and planned on having this system operational starting at 3 PM. However, the system didn't become operational until sometime around 5:20 PM due to "cellar bandwidth problems".

https://www.c-span.org/video/?537370-1/secret-service-fbi-officials-testify-attempted-assassination-fmr-pres-trump

[humble mango]

Unfortunate source of this video- but- One of the wounded was recording prior to the shooting- the shooter can be spotted on the roof. NO SHOOTING IN VIDEO.
https://fxtwitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1818702426683457818

[thin lark]

I don't know anything about C-UAS, but having a system for C-UAS that depends on celluar bandwidth to cover huge crowds where bandwidth is notoriously degraded is an interesting choice

[mental rune]

Especially in a ruralish town, but your point is dead on

[hollow remnant]

I would have thought the SS bring their own cellular, radio, satellite, EW... hardware with them.

[rough crest]

That's a lot to travel with if you're not traveling with your own plane.

[hollow remnant]

Possibly yes, but this kind of stuff could be integrated into a truck, with maybe a second one for power generation.
Prepositionning a few of these around the country for when they are needed would avoid having to ship them by plane everywhere they go.

[rough crest]

That's a lot of very expensive trucks, it's probably cheaper to fly one or two about than buy 10+ of them. I think it's worth remembering that trump is not getting the attention that a current president is- they almost certainly have this kit for longer events, more high risk events, etc. there's always a cost benefit analysis, and it's very plausibly not unreasonable that they didn't have that kit to hand for a second teir job in a safe red state.

[hollow remnant]

That makes sense, both the cost/maintenance and the different risk level they estimate.

[cinder moon]

This is a bit old -- I think many here have already seen it. But I have a weird question from this footage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28lxF9LONGk

What on earth is with the flag that's up there? It's gone in bodycam footage filmed ~15min later. When did it get up there, and why? This is the rear of the building labelled 3 here, by the loading dock

Was it just up there already (for the rally or whatever I guess) and someone just took it down? I don't remember seeing it anywhere before.

[sharp peak]

If it's this flag you're talking about, it's on a flagpole in front of AGR https://maps.app.goo.gl/YppEsKQ75PKuyDjz5 https://maps.app.goo.gl/gCvty2jTxDvud89J9

That flag is still there in the bodycam footage ||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzus2Ilw-mg||

[cinder moon]

Thank you!!! I was going crazy trying to figure out if this was a trick of perspective or if they like pulled themselves up with a flagpole propped up or something. It wasn't visible in the bodycam footage so I figured it'd be visible there otherwise.

[thin lark]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/08/politics/police-body-cam-video-trump-shooting/index.html

[sour solstice]

Can anyone post the timestamp of the moment described?

[cinder moon]

Sure, see the timestamp in the top-right. It's accurate. Shooting was at like 18:11:30 or so.

Gift link to our piece on the bodycam footage. We tried to have a few new takeaways from it than everyone else, which emphasize the guy-climbing-the-buliding moment (which is pretty nuts to see).

You can actually see Crooks at 6:08pm from the bodycam of a guy who was searching for him in some nearby woods. He arrived in the woods at 6:04pm, was searching through the trees/bushes for a few minutes, then you see Crooks (not sure if the guy noticed him or not...) while he was walking to the AGR complex.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/08/us/politics/trump-rally-shooting-bodycam-footage.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Bk4.2mRR.KCz9LhNMlRII&smid=url-share

The green arrow is his perspective at 6:08pm (where you can see Crooks). Red arrow is his movements over the next minute or so. He is standing at that point in the parking lot a couple minutes before the shooting.
The state trooper was standing on a picnic table trying to get a look at Crooks.

Very similar scene as to what you see starting at 2:45 here
https://youtu.be/28lxF9LONGk?si=p_SZcDDR0VSi8LD3&t=165

[humble mango]

sort of related situation, people close to Trump are starting to theorize that he has PTSD from the event- Reported in Vanity Fair that he's been watching the assassination attempt "over and over and over again"- https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-allies-fear-sabotaging-campaign

-This is potentially speculation being reported as a speculation of why Trump has made recent campaign choices- So decent odds the telephone game is in full swing.

[humble mango]

https://clayhiggins.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Preliminary-Investigative-Report-8.12.24.pdf

Aaand into the shadowrealm that post goes- PG 3, 4, and 6 have some interesting segments (atleast on a first glance.)

Notably- there is the possibility that the lone shot (from the SWAT operator on the ground) could have disabled the shooter's gun USSS sniper shot at him 2nd, and hit him in the head.

[mental rune]

Speaking about stuff that belongs in the shadow realm, regarding that report, the shorthand of July 13, 2024 as J13 is somewhat irksome.

Scratch my previous statement it's much worse he shorthands all of the dates in July with J(Day). There are also J12 and J23 referred to the report, here is my favorite example from his report

[humble mango]

This decision was likely sparked from the assassination plot from Iran, but I think the USSS (snipers*) 's sudden addition to the equation suddenly (and with no established chain of command- or at least not a good one) added more issues than it helped overall.

Course- exact story i'm tying in here- https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/pakistani-national-ties-iran-charged-connection-foiled-plot-assassinate-politician-or
Asif Merchant was arrested July 12th, shooting occurred the next day, if they had suspicions of a plot, could indicate a very rushed defense plan

[heavy halo]

I think USSS would’ve been there anyway, just a smaller complement. So you could argue they saved him.

I’m wondering how it went at his previous meets: Were there counter-sniper teams from local law enforcement? Who decided that and if there were, who decided where they were deployed?

[humble mango]

I do wonder how Clay determined that "Shot 9 hit Crooks’ rifle stock and fragged his face/neck/right shoulder area
from the stock breaking up." [Pg 4, 2nd bullet point], when he later admits that he has not seen an autopsy report nor will he be able to look at the body (reportedly cremated already) [Pg 5 2nd bullet point]

He also admits that he hasn't examined the shooter's rifle- [Pg 4, bullet point 2], and is relying off eyewitness testimony only

..I did at one point have all of the above in one message (with screenshot sources) but that post got automodded to oblivion. rip.

[heavy halo]

Butler ESU eywitnesses only.

I think this investigation has a long way to go.

[humble mango]

Also- quite funny that you can sorta feel his ire for some of these conspiracy theories (Specifically the water tower one on Pg 6, bullet point 2.)

[humble mango]

Yeah- it is sorta relieving to have an almost "real time update" from someone involved- I'm used to airplane+ other major incidents where we're waiting 3+ years to get very little details.

[mental rune]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-fbi-photos-show-trump-shooters-gun-backpack-and-explosives/

[humble mango]

https://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/fbi-pittsburgh-special-agent-in-charge-s-remarks-to-media-on-updates-to-the-butler-pennsyvlania-assassination-attempt-investigation

[humble mango]

Stock's got a chunk blown out of it.

(Taken from https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/butler-investigation-photos)

[mental rune]

Also, from the same FBI link.

Here are the explosive devices found in Cooks car

https://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/trunk-with-two-ieds.jpg

Also from the FBI photos. Here is the AC Unit Cooks Climbed up on

There is also this note on the image description from the FBI:

“The air conditioning unit Thomas Crooks’ used to access the roof of the AGR building. The subject accessed the roof by climbing on the tan machine on the far right side of the photo.”

https://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/hvac-photo.png

[mental rune]

Ok. found the location pictured via google street view. Unfortunately I don’t see a tan machine as described by the FBI. But here is the geolocation of the photo via street view.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Shqt3pHW96Grcjyf9?g_st=ic

[wanton ether]

Are they not referring to this?

[mental rune]

Yep, that's the case, if you open the image in a new tab with it zoomed in its tan, but either the color correction on the camera, or the sun makes it appear beige when from the thumbnail IMO.

[heavy halo]

I believe they are used pretty much interchangeably, aren’t they? Beige is a bit more brown, tan is a bit more gray, but personally I couldn’t tell the difference between tan and beige unless I saw them next to each other.

[mental rune]

There is also this from the text of the FBI press release you linked.

[mental rune]

Also here is the angle of the stock from the other side.

The FBI didn’t make note of it but look at the rear of the stock.

https://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/rifle-backpack.jpg

[humble mango]

This looks to be the same side, but collapsed so it could be hidden in the backpack,

[wanton ether]

@humble mango correct, it is.