Based on music recorded in Butler, Pennsylvania, an audio forensic analysis  conducted by Catalin Grigoras, director of the National Center for Media , Forensp, at the University of Colorado in Denver, and Cole Whitecotton, top professional research  connect at Media Forensics, may indicate the possibility of a subsequent shooter.
According to these specialists,” The first , three , pictures were consistent with alleged tool A, the second five were consistent with alleged tool B and the final’ sound desire’ was  , emitted by a possible weapon C”. We are aware that one of them was the gunman who had been identified, and the other a Secret Service shooter. We are unsure of the owner of the “possible tool C.” A minute sniper? The state sniper team’s trained spotter
The FBI claims that the gunman was acting only, but only one has been identified. The commission may want to rethink its conclusion.
Evidently, this contentious sound forensic analysis needs friend assessment. There are, however, additional issues that need to be addressed that are beyond the sound forensics.
Below I review some of what we know, and a lot we do n’t know, and I ask questions where the information we have so far leads.
I participated in the John F. Kennedy death, along with thousands of others, as a sort of learner. I’ve read tens of thousands of pages of books and papers, and I’m proud.  , But what turned out to be most remarkable, as far as I am concerned, are two points.
Second, I believe there was a significant scandal that still exists sixty and a half years after Kennedy’s death.
Second, it appears that President Trump had promised to release all that is still in the Kennedy killing’s libraries even though he withheld some of them. He allegedly , told Roger Stone , that he ( Stone ) “would not believe what is in the]still ] classified ]and unreleased ] files”.
That indicates that Trump believed walking that plank to be harmful.
What’s worrying about 2024 is whether we will have a fair research and ensure that all the information is kept intact.  , Obviously President Biden has ordered some sort of inspection. A strong FBI analysis with congressional oversight is what I personally prefer. The FBI has the investigative skills to carry out the task, but it requires leadership and oversight, which should be expected.  , It wo n’t be easy to sell the American people on a sloppy or politically biased review.
The weapon
We have not been able to identify the weapon used by the identified sniper.  , No images of it. We do n’t have a model number or the name of the manufacturer.
AR-15s may get altered to improve their accuracy.  , There are a , range of websites , that have directions.
It’s unknown whether the cannon had a reflector look or another aiming device.  , It was perhaps too far from the target for a light cursor, although some claim a range of 500 feet in morning. ( Trump was less than 400 feet from the shooter’s location when the shooting occurred. ) It seems too far in a setting with unnatural TV lights and bright sunlight. Also, no one saw any proof of a light on Trump.
We’re not sure if the firearm was altered. It probably was used straight away, according to my private opinion.
The weapon will need to be forensically tested. Whether that has happened, we don’t know, and if it was we do not know the results.
In reality, we are unsure if any of the shots have been found.  , Fired and recovered shell, if found, could possibly be matched to the weapon or arms. This will also play a role in determining whether a minute gunman was present. It is important to point out that laws police blocked off the entire region as a crime scene.  , The chase for shells and other information is good underway.
We’re not sure if the firearm had a carrying rope that extended over the shoulder. Since witnesses witnessed the gunman and the gun, they could ascertain how it was carried and whether it was kept in any way secret, which does not appear to be the case.
The shooter is even purchased a five-foot staircase at Home Depot. We’re never sure what type or how much, but we do understand that aluminum ladders are very mild despite being awkward to transport around. There are also ladders made of plastic that are also gentle, as well. There is at least one photo of the ladder up against the building ( assuming, for the moment, it was the Home Depot-purchased , ladder ).
We’re not sure if the two police officers who arrived at the developing after being yelled at by the group that a gunman was on the roof actually used the same staircase, but they most likely did. The shooter is turned his gun at the shooter, who later claimed he” jumped” or fell to the ground after the first police officer poked his head above the roof line.
It could be that the rope was put in place the day before the march. The shooter is reportedly was present at the scene and was seen hovering around the metal detectors nearby; why we are n’t sure because he avoided entering the rally’s security area. He is not said to have been carrying a rope around.
On , the houses, according to some witnesses, the gunman allegedly sped from one tower to the next. However, as previously reported, that does n’t seem to align well with the ladder’s position.  , We need to hear more.
Some believe that the gunman needed assistance in order to execute this well-planned operation.
He undoubtedly required amazing luck to be able to walk a ladder in the dead of night onto a roof.  , Lots of people saw him but the reaction took too long, was sleepy and inadequate.
We’re not sure if the witness instructions were broadcast on television or via cell phone, but it seems to me that the Secret Service guns were given directions to appear, and the response would be that the shooter’s place was revealed to the rifle group. The Secret Service sniper team gazed at the shooter with a telescope before taking aim, according to Larry Johnson and Chris Whitcomb, who are both former FBI HRT snipers.  ,  ,
No details are known about any gunshot detectors being used at the rally. A reliable gunshot detector can triangulate and locate a shooter in a millisecond when a shot is fired.
The weapon was “legally purchased” by the shooter’s father, according to the FBI. Since the shooter was at a gun range last Friday, “practicing,” it is clear he had access to the gun. Was it bought for the purchaser’s son? The son could legally buy a gun in Pennsylvania as he was 20 years old (minors in Pennsylvania under 18 cannot buy a gun, although there are some permitted gun activities allowed with supervision).
Since we do not know when the gun was actually purchased, it might have been for the son when he was just a kid. He was rejected for being inaccurate in his aim and unsafe in his gun handling when he tried out for the high school shooting team. Does the gun trace to that time? Perhaps the students who saw him could recognize the weapon used at the time.
According to reports, the shooter’s identity was determined by DNA, which would have required family members to provide DNA samples ( spit into the test tube ). There are facilities in nearby Pittsburgh and perhaps elsewhere where, once DNA samples were delivered, they could check for a match within 90 minutes. Additionally, it is highly likely that the father has the gun’s serial number.
Did the police take human remains for drug testing? The shooter is, who saw the policeman climb up before he turned at fired at Trump must have been incredibly brazen and calm. Did drugs play a role?
So far as we are aware, the shooter made no effort to remove the weapon’s serial number. If that had been done the gun would not have been traceable to the father.
On Friday, the shooter purchased 50 rounds of 5.56 ammunition. Because this is permitted in Pennsylvania, the weapon clip is likely to hold 30 rounds.
Preliminary acoustic evidence ( see above ) says there possibly were three people firing. There was a first burst of gunfire coming from the shooter’s location, a second burst, but the location is n’t clear and different from the first burst, and possibly a third shooter who fired one shot. According to forensic acoustic experts, there may have been two shooters.
The identified shooter could have moved location for the second round, but there was little time and no one has reported any change of location.
The Secret , Service agent sniper team on the roof behind Trump on stage shot how many shots, we do n’t know how many. Most accounts claim that it took just one shot to stop the shooter.  , The agents were equipped with sophisticated sniper weapons, one mounted on a tripod and one on a small stand for a prone shot. According to what we are told, the shooting started after the shooter started firing, but that does not exactly correspond to the acoustic  evidence. The acoustic evidence may point to the possibility that the last single shot, if confirmed, may have been fired by the snipers.  , The shooter is was dispatched by a single headshot.
There are a few ( perhaps more ) possibilities. One is that the first or second firing rounds were spliced into the sniper round to target Trump and the podium.  , The problem with this theory is that the microphone on the podium may not have heard the sniper round, or would have heard it differently from the shots fired from some distance away. If the second volley had been interspersed with the first, it would have to have come from somewhere else.  ,  ,
That leaves the third alleged shot unaccounted for. The Secret Service fired the third shot, as an alternative. That would indicate that roughly 9 shots in two volleys had already been fired, a significant, potentially fatal, and delayed response. ( One person was killed trying to protect his family, two others were critically wounded. )
We need to see if the Media Forensics team’s initial determination holds up to scrutiny because the recording of the ballistic blast of the rounds picked up by the podium microphone is available for further investigation.
The shooter is
The only candidate for the actual shooter is the 20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks. If a second shooter was involved, they fled and are not being pursued, or at least we are unaware of any efforts in that direction. The Secret Service and FBI both acknowledge that there was only one shooter, as they both made the declaration before the evidence, including ballistic evidence, was examined.  , If you should think that sounds a lot like the Kennedy Assassination, you may not be far off the mark.
Before there was a credible investigation, I thought it was premature and amateurish to make any concrete declaration about the threat’s scope. Sadly, all too frequently law enforcement releases statements that are inaccurate or incomplete.  , If there was a second shooter, or if there were other accomplices, they are long gone ( which means there could still be an active threat against Trump ).
Crooks is alleged to have been a trustworthy and good worker. Fellow students claimed that he was a loner and frequently faced bullying at school.  , Whether this amounts to any sort of motive is hard to judge, but often disgruntled, bullied students turn on their school or fellow students and not on presidential candidates. It seems too far a way to be reliable.
This is unusual because there is no social media history for the young man.  , Most wannabe murderer-assassins want publicity to air their grievances , and get sympathy from the public. Some people are undoubtedly aware that they might not survive, so the social media postings, including videos and manifestos, serve as last wills and testaments.
Sadly, the police have been known to withhold some things, as they did in Nashville after March 27, 2023, when a mass shooting occurred at the Covenant School. The shooter is, Audrey Hale, was a transvestite. Hale’s plan was to target “white privileged cr***ers” and “f****ts” before turning the gun on herself.
No real Crooks friends have yet to appear, assuming he had some.  , Former students who talk about him say that they really did not know him, that he stayed to himself.  ,
If Crooks was a person ripe for exploitation, it is worthwhile to inquire.  , A person without friends can be open to manipulation and can feel a sense of protection, even of inviolability. There is at least a reasonable chance that Crooks did not anticipate dying when he shot at Trump. allegedly there were bombs or IEDs in his old van when he parked across the field, suggesting that he may have planned a” spectacular” escape.  , While the explosives , devices in the van have been reported, they have not been seen. The van was towed away by law enforcement, according to news.
Security
There is a general consensus that security at the Trump rally was poor. The main argument for that is the lack of coverage of buildings in the line of sight of the podium where Trump stood. The shooter is had an unobstructed view of Trump’s head when he fired from a prone position (which improves accuracy by making the shooter stable).
The Secret Service is supposed to coordinate other law enforcement activities in a high security event involving the Secret Service and lay out all the protection ground rules.
The Secret Service said it was the responsibility of local law enforcement to protect the outer perimeter, which is partially true but also intentionally misleading, since the Secret Service had to approve all the security measures. We do n’t know whether this was done, and whether the Secret Service approved all security measures, so we wonder, like millions of others, how they could have a view from the rooftops.
Additionally, we are not familiar with the communications system.  , Surely there was a Secret Service command center ( that’s why these folks have clear plastic earphones connected to secure radios ). One would also assume that there is a , a recording, or recordings of the communication channels. The recordings are significant pieces of evidence.
According to reports, the Secret Service was understaffed, had only arrived at the fairground the day before, and that its employees had been spliced together because the “regulars” were out defending Jill Biden and Kamala Harris. If accurate, and it certainly is, it would indicate that the preparations were hurried and performed below industry standards.
There also has been criticism of the team assigned to physically protect Trump. They did their job, but as the video clearly demonstrates, sending short ladies to body-protect a big, 6 foot 3 inch VIP is not logical. Because the woman was too short to cover him, of course, miracle de Dieu gave Trump the chance to fist-pump the crowd and yell” Fight, Fight”  .  , Not much planning there.
Let’s face it, Secret Service security occasionally blunders. They allowed President Reagan to be shot almost fatally on March 30, 1981 at the side entrance outside the Washington Hilton. In the killings of both Kennedys the Secret Service failed to protect either the president in a Dallas motorcade ( November 22, 1963 ) or his brother running for president and murdered at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles ( June 5, 1968 ).
Despite numerous requests, President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have consistently denied Robert Kennedy Jr. requests for Secret Service protection. Mayorkas finally relented on July 15 after being instructed by Biden to do so.  , Two hours before the Mayorkas announcement Trump, having met with Kennedy, called on Biden to provide protection to Kennedy.  ,  ,
It is crucial to point out that Trump praised the security of the Secret Service.
It is likely the Secret Service will be subjected to serious scrutiny by Congress. There is no chance of an internal investigation of any kind given the attitude of her director, who blames others for her failures. Therefore, Kimberly Cheatle, the company’s director, should step down as she is in charge of the Pennsylvania scandal. She can go out the door with her boss Mayorkas, the man who denied protection to Kennedy.
In a certain way, I want to categorize Cheatle’s fate. She has a wealth of experience and is a highly qualified Secret Service agent. But she is responsible for the mess.
The Secret Service needs a new beginning, beginning with the removal of all the wake-based lies that undermine its mission. It is supposed to be tough, military, highly trained, and its agents are willing to give themselves up.  , Selfless attention to duty in terms of protecting Donald Trump was certainly on display at the Trump rally in Butler.
The Secret Service sniper team did what they did, but there are still questions about the timing, as lives could have been saved and the threat could have been eliminated much sooner. Bullets flying around the shooter could have been a part of the dissuasion. Any argument that the Secret Service has to wait until actual harm has been done will not protect anyone, including the American president.
The Secret Service requires a new beginning. The agency has already experienced too many outright failures, as well as numerous drunk agents and other issues that needed fixing and attention.  ,
Training for counter-assault teams and counter-sniper teams may also require new operating rules. Before you expel a threat, you should n’t have to wait for bodily harm to occur.
Unfortunately the instinct of government organizations, just as in the civilian world, is to protect and cover up failure. This is not the time for that,  .
Stephen Bryen served as the Near East Subcommittee of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee  and as the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.  ,
This article was originally published on his Substack, Weapons and Strategy, and was republished with permission.