Posted on 08/28/2024 6:54:58 PM PDT by Spktyr
The FBI has released the first photos of the AR-15 rifle that Thomas Matthew Crooks used in his attempt to kill former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania last month. The images show that Crooks — a 20-year-old gun nut — broke down the semi-automatic DPMS DR-15 rifle into two pieces and stowed it in a black SwissGear backpack as he made his way through the Butler, Pa. rally crowd. A closer look at the weapon reveals an approximately three-inch chunk missing from the gun’s buttstock, which could be where the police sniper’s bullet struck before the Secret Service sniper finished Crooks off with a headshot. “Thomas Crooks’ rifle broken down as was likely done for transport and the backpack recovered onsite,” The FBI captioned the bombshell new image. A separate photo showed the rifle fully assembled and positioned next to a ruler, which pegs its length at around 36 inches from stock to barrel. The gun’s receiver has been scrawled with some white markings, which the FBI notes it had drawn on the weapon. It was known from previous reporting that the rifle had been purchased by Crooks’ father a decade ago. The agency also released images of two improvised explosive devices in the trunk of Crooks’ car — with the receiver enabling remote detonation set in the “off” position. The bureau said the devices had “several problems with the way they were constructed.” One of the homemade bombs was built inside what looks to be a green ammo can, a wire leading out the back is haphazardly taped to the side of the container and connected to a small device that appears to be equipped with a small antenna. The trunk also contains another backpack, a laptop bag, and a spray bottle filled with a clear liquid.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
The 45 degree sights are “tacticool” mimicking 3-Gun competitor setups for close to far transitions.
Not a red dot fan so no comment. Iron sight guy, reluctantly getting into scopes.
The bodycam videos were released weeks ago and this weapon is visible in them, covered in blood - but not all the details were visible. Do you need a link to the local LEO bodycams?
Er, what?
RE: Crooks concealing an automatic weapon going past the Secret Service and local police at a President Trump event.
1963:
Lee Harvey Oswald said the long bulky paper bag he carried to the Texas School Book Depository where he was employed contained “curtain rods.” It was, of course, a rifle.
Chapter 4, page 130 of the Warren Commission Report, which is available on the National Archives (NARA) website.
Aren't you aware of the fact that Crooks was apparently a member of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club in Pennsylvania, and repeatedly visited to practice his shooting, is also used by Department of Homeland Security for 'police training.'
“I wouldn’t characterize anything firing 5.56 as a “hundred yard weapon.”
Sort of depends on the shooter, and the hardware, no?
I, and many others, shoot ARs regularly at all distances on my private shooting range. Hitting a head-sized target from 140+ yds with that red dot WOULD NOT be an easy shot. At least, not very dependable. You could easily miss. The parallax shift on those scopes are very sloppy, and it was really made for shots inside of 50 yards. They do not magnify a target, and have poor light-gathering capabilities. Some of the “dots” in those optics are 6 MOA in size, and would almost cover a persons entire head at the distance he was shooting. It was definitely the wrong scope for the job.
The bottom line is if you told me I had to crawl up on a roof and make a 140+ yard shot on someone's head with an AR, this is definitely not the one I would use.
Yes, but where did you get the idea that *I* attended that club?
“AK Jesus” (aka Brandon Herrera) did a rudimentary recreation of the shot a few weeks back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsvJzfXZI18
Like I said, that was a very odd build. He would have been better off with a cheap Walmart scope.
Eh. The upper wasn’t the problem, the red dot without the magnifier is. Aero uppers are usually pretty good out to a lot further than 100.
When I said "you all", I was responding to the Feds, not to you personally.
Anyone saying that he had handlers or other outside help, of whatever source, must surely think that the equipment used met their standards for accuracy.
What’s with the recoil tube in both pictures. One looks intact, the other broken.
In the first photo, the gun stock looks damaged, but still in one piece.
In the second photo, a big piece of the stock is missing.
Also, one other mystery.
In the spectator video of Crooks flopping around on the roof, Crooks is clearly wearing long white pants, probably to blend in with the roof.
In the dead body photo, Crooks is wearing shorts, or possibly what are called athletic underpants.
I wonder if they stripped him down to check for explosives?
Or, was there more than one person on the roof when the spectator video was filmed?
“countersniper’s bullet is responsible for that missing piece of the stock.”
So he’s right handed, shooting from the prone over the crest of a roof and the rear of the buttstock gets taken out from a front shot?
Imo it further substantiates he was shot from high-left-rear to make that downward, to the right, shot thru his head, into the buttstock. IOW his killer was atop the water tower.
I believe you are mistaken.
One wounded spectator and one dead spectator were directly in the line of sight to Trump's head.
Those spectators were sitting on, or standing on, the extreme right side of the bleacher seats that slightly curled around Trump's right side.
It is possible that Crooks could not see Trump until people in the extreme right side bleacher seats began to sit down.
Ping
And he drove 2 vehicles with explosive devices in them.
Still no sign of Yearick. Is that guy alive anymore?
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