Posted on 07/16/2024 4:01:53 AM PDT by edwinland
In the 48 hours before he opened fire on former President Donald Trump, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks made a series of stops in and around his suburban Pittsburgh hometown.
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, joining thousands of people from around the region who flocked to Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He parked the car outside the rally, with an improvised explosive device hidden in the trunk that was wired to a transmitter he carried, the official said. Then, investigators believe, he used his newly-bought ladder to scale a nearby building, and opened fire on the former president.
As investigators continue to search for a motive behind the attempted assassination, they are scrutinizing Crooks’ movements before the attack and trying to piece together a timeline of his actions leading up to it.
Yet nearly 48 hours after the shooting, investigators are struck by the lack of leads they’re finding about Crooks’ mindset and possible motives. Even after successfully breaking into his phone and searching his computer, scouring his search history and bedroom, and interviewing his family and friends, agents still haven’t found evidence that would suggest political or ideological impetus for the shooting, law enforcement sources told CNN.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Those composite ladders are very heavy.
Exactly, the ladder in all the photos is an a frame ladder that is 8-9 foot.
I am surprised the SS and LEO didn’t have a sniper check kiosk set up on the premises.
It does. Either a 12 or 15 foot ladder. I don’t know if there’s a way to determine a ladder’s height just based on the number of steps?
Thinking the same as you. Bet a case of Tasty cakes they held up on identifying the assassin until they scrubs his files, same with his phone.
Do we know of they even kept an eye at the tower for shooters?
Hubby (retired commercial construction superintendent) says it appears to be a 12ft ladder.
OSHA has rules for the spacing of ladder rungs, steps, and cleats:
Portable and fixed ladders:
The distance between the centerlines of rungs, steps, and cleats should be between 10 and 14 inches (25–36 cm) apart.
“...10-Foot Fiberglass Step Ladder”
Which is why I’m calling “BS” on this CNN story.
That is not the type of ladder a person would buy to lean against a building to access a 2nd story. That is the type of ladder used for free-standing setup for access over head such as to change a light bulb. It is not expandable and likely too heavy for one person to easily put on top of a roof rack. It is also much more expensive than a simple aluminum extension ladder which is lighter, cheaper and purpose built for exterior use leaning up against a building.
IMO that step ladder came from inside the building, not the shooter’s vehicle.
Imo CNN’s story is whole-cloth fiction.
Actually upon further review I think it may be a Werner 10 ft fiberglass tripod ladder in the photos. They do sell those at home depot. The ladder in the photos is 8 - 10 foot and the steps narrow as it goes up.
Big possibility. And the narrative that a 20 year old had no social media presence is ludicrous. He fits the profile of a gamer or ANTIFA protester and they have quite a presence on numerous social media sites such as Reddit.
Also, I saw a video on X of him ranting at a couple of young people manning a Trump campaign sign table. It was the usual screaming you see from young socialists or Biden supporters that Trump is a fascist and threat to humanity.
These are the answers I knew I’d find
“We don’t know anything about the ladders yet, he bought a 5 foot ladder...”
It’s very obvious that it isn’t a five foot ladder he used to get on top of the roof.
CNN reports he purchased a 5ft ladder at Home Depot. But a CNN reporter would not be aware of a thing such as an extension ladder. Then again, media also reports Crimes didn't use a ladder to access the rooftop. Then what was the reason for the ladder purchase? Maybe he thought he WOULD need it.
The conflicting and leaked reports makes me think the "deep state" is muddying the waters so they can later accuse conservatives of being conspiracy theorists who promote "debunked" lies just in order to blame SS or Democrats.
Just watch as many of the articles are later edited to remove information (without mention as to what it edited) and we will be told we just imagined the current reports.
One thing I just thought of though: We actually don’t know if the ladder in the photos was used by the shooter, or put in place by LE to get up there after the shooter was down. It is obvious that the one in the photos is not a 5 foot ladder, zoom in on it, it does not appear to be an extension type ladder. When did that ladder get there and who put it there: after the shooting, or before?
Another story I’ve read is that the shooter may have used some ac unit or something to get to the roof.
That is not a 5-foot ladder. I own an 8-ft fiberglass and that sucker is heavy. I would not want to carry it very far. Unless that ladder is an extension ladder like my BIL uses it would not fit in a Sonata. He has an aluminum ladder that telescopes from trunk size to 10 feet. But it has rounded sides. This ladder does not look like that. It looks like a standard 10-15-ft step ladder.
The one in the picture looks like it’s aluminum.
Yes and the problem with mass collection of data is FINDING it.
“How in the Hell can a guy walk even near the rally carrying a ladder and a weapon and nobody stops him!“
THE very basic question!
- a ladder AND a backpack???
Try getting into a concert or a ball game with your own can of Coca Cola.. see what security does and how they treat you..
Either this is fiction or he was ALLOWED to do this.
There is NO in between.
The kid didn’t SCRUB his social media..
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And you know this because?
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