Trump rally: Witness says he saw gunman minutes before shots fired

teft@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 195 points –
Trump rally: Witness says he saw gunman minutes before shots fired
bbc.com
60

I’m sorry that guy was at a shooting but a visor with Trump 20204 might be the most loser-coded thing I’ve ever seen. If you hold that visor up to your ear like a seashell, you can hear someone complaining about a family court judge ruling against him after he represented himself.

Allow me to blow your mind. That’s not his real hair, it’s a hat that looks like a visor + Trump’s rug. Watch the video and it becomes clear.

In case anyone was wondering where that kid in your class who huffed glue is doing these days.

I was wondering why they were so worried about his hat. Seemed weird.

Maybe I’m crazy here but if I saw a dude with a rifle on a roof at a political rally I would 100% assume it was secret service. I don’t see much here that convinces me otherwise

Edit: there is some evidence that he may have been on a roof. It’s hard to get accurate information this soon after an incident so we’ll see in the coming days

Edit: yeah, pretty much confirmed it was the gunman, assuming this guy is talking about the right roof (secret service were on a different roof). I still stand by my original comment, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it if I saw it

If they were in legit gear or a suit, I wouldn't think it was odd. Any other guy with a rifle would be a red fucking flag because plainclothes USSS have concealed guns and don't play on roofs.

No. USSS Snipers are all over the place. Some visible most are not. In one of the videos you can clearly see a USSS sniper above stage right. That's the guy who took out the shooter.

I kind of doubt someone could have told what outfit the gunmen was wearing in that scenario.

Isn’t the point to blend in and not bring attention to yourself thouth?

And if you saw him getting into position mid speech that wouldn't strike you as odd? The shooter was seen low crawling into position. Secret Service shooters would be in place from the start not moving mid speech.

They're Trump supporters, their brain power is not what brought them to the rally.

Yeah, I think that that's been normal for a long time. There are even pictures of the law enforcement on a rooftop at this rally with scoped rifles.

EDIT: One of the top posts on Reddit says that this is the shooter after having been shot. Assuming that is correct, gives an idea as to what he was wearing.

https://i.redd.it/4jm18y33gdcd1.jpeg

That kind of uncertainty about if the shooter was part of the security detail or not may have been the source of hesitation that let him get shots off before immediately getting shot himself. The speed of the return fire makes it seem like someone was already pointing a gun at him and awaiting confirmation he wasn't supposed to be there.

That’s an interesting point. I’m sure they know where the others are but I’m sure there’s always a doubt

Considering how many different law enforcement agencies are in the US, who don't have comms with one another, yeah

If true, a lot of heads are going to roll. That's a shocking lapse in security.

Dude is notorious for not paying people. Are we really that shocked security was a little loose?

By security I meant Secret Service. I believe ex-presidents get a secret service detail.

True, but security around the venue is paid by the RNC and his campaign. They have been known to stiff the bill.

They do and I believe presidential candidates since RFK's assassination.

Thing is he doesn't have to pay anything for security, secret service is paid by the government.

He does pay for the security around the venue. At least the RNC does and by extension, him.

Video of him on the roof just before everything went down (video blurs out the shooter during/after death):

https://x.com/sentdefender/status/1812339055603978440

You can hear people yelling, "He's got a gun!" seconds before the shooting happens.

Another angle of people yelling "He's got a gun" (shaky cameraman, good for audio only): https://x.com/BNONews/status/1812327502028669328

Another witness that was also trying to point out the shooter to the authorities: https://x.com/BNONews/status/1812311392675914015

Pretty embarrassing for the secret service. This plus all their other fuckups and shenanigans these past 12 years should lead to some serious reforms.

This guy has no idea what the fuck he's talking about. Any armed security worth their salt would have snipers on roofs at large gatherings. I see them at sporting events, why not at a rally?

The man with a rifle he saw was almost certainly working with Trump's security detail, and if not, he would have been spotted not long after this guy saw him, and taken out before he could have taken a shot.

There's video footage of the shooter dead on a roof.

I admit I was wrong.

And I think the secret service detail assigned to Trump might be terrible at their job.

It may simply be that former presidents don't get the same security resources as an actual president.

Plus it's been reported that he treats his security staff like trash, so it might be difficult to find people willing to put themselves in harms way for him.

I think you're probably right on both counts. I know I certainly wouldn't put my life on the line for a convicted felon, alleged rapist, known adulterer, racist, liar, and threat to democracy if he was also being a dick to me personally

Any armed security worth their salt would have snipers on roofs at large gatherings.

They did have them here; there are photos of them. The assassin was also apparently on another roof; I linked to what is a purported picture of his body on the roof off Reddit in my comment above.