Tag Archives: Police

FBI- Trump Shooter Was Lone Gunman

Today, the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump: a breakdown of the assassination attempt, and initial theories about the gunman. Via our friends at the Associated Press & The Epoch Times.

Highlights

A Breakdown of the Assassination Attempt Against Trump


It started at 6:02 p.m. with former President Donald Trump taking the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania. Ten minutes later Mr. Trump was lying bleeding on the stage and shielded by Secret Service agents.


Why It Matters: An attempted political assassination of a former and potential U.S. president impacts the world.


FBI Found ‘Suspicious Device’ in Shooter’s Car, Investigating Attack as Domestic Terrorism


The FBI has provided background on its investigation of the would-be killer of former President Trump and what else he may have been trying to do.
Officials said they don’t have a motive yet, but did find a suspicious device in the dead gunman’s car and continue to work with his family as the investigation continues.


Why It Matters: Many questions need to be answered, including what the shooter’s motive was, and how he was able to nearly kill a former president.

FBI Investigating Attack as Act of Domestic Terrorism

The FBI said a ’suspicious device,’ which was later defused, was found in the assailant’s car.

FBI Believes Trump Shooter Acted Alone, Investigating Attack as Act of Domestic Terrorism
State and local police block off roads surrounding the home of the suspected shooter of former President Donald Trump, as the FBI carries out an investigation, in Bethel Park, Pa., on July 14, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images) Joseph Lord

FBI officials say they believe the would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump acted alone.

The agency is investigating the attack as both an attempted assassination and an act of domestic terrorism, officials told reporters in a call with news media on July 14.

The new details emerged less than 24 hours after the United States saw its first major assassination attempt of a president or presidential candidate since President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.

Authorities have identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. At a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, the assailant fired several shots from an elevated position near the venue. Witnesses saw a man with a rifle on the rooftop of a nearby building.

Former President Trump’s right ear was pierced by one of the bullets before he was rushed to his car by Secret Service agents. However, one of the attendees at the rally, 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed. Two other rally attendees—identified by Pennsylvania State Police as David Dutch and James Copenhaver—were injured.

Both of the injured attendees are in stable condition, according to Pennsylvania State Police, which did not provide further details on their injuries. A GoFundMe effort established by the Trump campaign for the victims and their families had raised more than $3 million usd/ $4,090,000 cad as of the evening of July 14.

FBI Investigation

The FBI has not yet identified a motive. The assailant’s family is cooperating in the investigation, officials said.

Trump Says God ‘Prevented the Unthinkable’ During Assassination Attempt

Biden Says He’s Directed an Independent Review of Security at Trump Rally

Biden Says He’s Directed an Independent Review of Security at Trump Rally

Attorney General Merrick Garland called the assassination attempt on the former president “an attack on our democracy itself.”

“[The Justice Department has] no tolerance for such violence, and as Americans, we must have no tolerance for it,” Mr. Garland told reporters. “This must stop.”

The agency said a “suspicious device” was located during a sweep of Mr. Crooks’s car. It was later defused by bomb technicians.

FBI Director Christopher Wray vowed that his agency would “leave no stone unturned” in its investigation of the attack.

“An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate can only be described as absolutely despicable and will not be tolerated in this country,” Mr. Wray told reporters.

Earlier on July 14, President Joe Biden said he asked that the investigation be “thorough and swift.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies about the bureau’s budgetary needs during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in Washington on June 4, 2024. (Allison Bailey/Middle East Images via AFP via Getty Images)
FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies about the bureau’s budgetary needs during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in Washington on June 4, 2024. (Allison Bailey/Middle East Images via AFP via Getty Images)

Prior to the attack, officials said, the perpetrator wasn’t on the FBI’s radar as a potential threat.

The FBI’s screening of the shooter’s social media presence has so far revealed no ideology or political beliefs that could have been his basis for the attack, officials said.

The FBI has received more than 2,000 tips so far, they said.

Officials believe that the rifle used in the attack was a semi-automatic rifle similar to an AR-15.

Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, told reporters that the weapon belonged to the shooter’s father, who purchased it legally. It’s still unclear how Mr. Crooks got his hands on the rifle, or if his father was aware that he had taken it.

“These are facts that we’ll flesh out as we conduct interviews,” Mr. Rojek said.

Independent Review

President Biden said that he has directed an independent review of the security present at the rally.

Speaking from the White House, President Biden said the assassination attempt was “contrary to everything we stand for as a nation.”

“It’s not who we are as a nation, it’s not America, and we cannot allow this to happen,” he said.

The president said that he had a “short but good conversation” with former President Trump on the evening of July 13.

The former president, meanwhile, was due to arrive in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention on July 14, as originally planned. He said in a social media post that he had wanted to delay the travel in the immediate aftermath of the attack, but ultimately decided against it.

Secret Service officials confirmed on July 14 that no changes have been made to security at the convention, which starts on July 15, noting that the event has already been given the highest-grade security.

“Currently, there are no known articulated threats against the RNC or anyone visiting the RNC,” Michael Hensle, special agent in charge of the FBI for Wisconsin, said at a news conference.

The Secret Service has refuted claims that the 45th president’s security team requested additional security for the July 13 event and was denied.

“This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi wrote in a July 14 post on X.

Former President Trump, in a statement on July 14, thanked his supporters, saying of the attack that it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”

The former president made a call for unity, saying, “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans.”

Former First Lady Melania Trump, in her own statement, called on Americans to “ascend above the hate” and “simple-minded ideas that incite violence.”

“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” Ms. Trump wrote.

She said that she was “grateful to the brave Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives.”

Over on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are vowing their own investigations into the matter.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Congress will probe if there were security lapses at the rally.

“We need to know: How could an individual be at that elevation that was seen by apparently bystanders on the ground—how could that not be noticed by Secret Service?” Mr. Johnson told NBC’s “Today” on July 14.

In a July 14 letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) revealed several pieces of information, including the security plan that was in place on the day of the shooting. The Secret Service falls under the umbrella of DHS.

A DHS spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter.

“DHS responds to congressional inquiries directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email. For the Silo, Joseph Lord.

Joseph Lord

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Toronto Drops To Sixth As Washington DC Enters World Safety City Index

Tokyo edges Singapore (2nd) and Osaka (3rd) again to take the top spot globally in 2019.Two North American cities make up the top ten, including Toronto (6th) and Washington, DC, (7th).The remaining top ten cities are: Amsterdam (4th), Sydney (5th), Copenhagen and Seoul (tied 8th) and Melbourne (10th).The 2019 edition of the index includes ten new indicators, of which eight are related to environmental resilience. 

The Economist Intelligence Unit today releases the third edition of the Safe Cities Index (SCI) at the Safe Cities Summit in Singapore. The index, which is the centre piece of a research project sponsored by NEC Corporation, ranks 60 cities worldwide across five continents. It measures the multifaceted nature of urban safety, with indicators organised across four pillars: digital, infrastructure, health and personal security.  

Cities in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region make up six of the top ten safest cities, with Tokyo taking the top spot for the third time in a row. Along with Tokyo, other APAC cities, as in the past, dominate the SCI2019. Singapore and Osaka come second and third, while Sydney and Melbourne also make the top ten.  

Toronto and Washington, DC, are the highest ranked North American cities in the SCI2019, with Washington, DC, entering the top ten for the first time. Overall, North American cities perform well in digital security, accounting for seven of the top ten cities in this category. These cities include Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, New York and Toronto. 

Vaibhav Sahgal, consultant at The Economist Intelligence Unit, says: “US cities continue to perform well in digital security as the government strengthens its cyber-security regulations, while Canadian cities tend to fare better than their US counterparts in personal security. None of the cities in the US make it into the top 20 in the personal security category—Washington, DC, only ranks 23rd, together with Shanghai.” 

The SCI2019 benefits from a major revision designed to better capture “urban resilience”—the ability of cities to absorb and bounce back from shocks—a concept that has had an increasing influence on thinking in urban safety over the last decade, especially as policymakers worry about the implications of climate change. The 2019 edition is the third, following the 2015 and 2017 iterations.The SCI2019 scores are not evenly spread, with a large number of cities clustered at the top, and the rest showing wider variation in scores. Just ten points separate the overall scores of the top 24 cities, while the following 36 are 40 points apart. The research shows that levels of transparency in cities correlate as closely as income with index scores. 
Research shows that the performance of different safety pillars correlates very closely with each other, signifying that different kinds of safety are thoroughly intertwined. The top performers in each pillar are as follows: Digital security: Tokyo (1), Singapore (2), Chicago (3), Washington, DC, (4), Los Angeles/San Francisco (5)Health security: Osaka (1), Tokyo (2), Seoul (3), Amsterdam (4), Stockholm (5)Infrastructure security: Singapore (1), Osaka (2), Barcelona (3), Tokyo (4), Madrid (5)Personal security: Singapore (1), Copenhagen (2), Hong Kong (3), Tokyo (4), Wellington (5)
The leading cities got the basics right, including easy access to high-quality healthcare, dedicated cyber-security teams, community-based police patrolling and/or disaster continuity planning. The accompanying SCI2019 report explores the index results, incorporating 14 in-depth interviews with industry experts around urban safety. 

Naka Kondo, senior editor at The Economist Intelligence Unit, and editor of the SCI2019 report says: “Overall, while wealth is among the most important determinants of safety, the levels of transparency—and governance—correlate as closely as income with index scores. Our research shows the many ways that transparency and accountability are essential in every pillar of urban security, from building safer bridges to developing the trust needed for relevant stakeholders to share information on cyber-attacks. The research also highlights how different types of safety are thoroughly intertwined—that it is rare to find a city with very good results in one safety pillar and lagging in others. Policies, service planning and provision should also take this into account—and this year, we have decided to convene stakeholders from around the world in a Safe Cities Summit to discuss such matters around urban safety.

Reactions To Walking In Downtown Albuquerque

The mayor of a beautiful American city filled with wonderful people-but part of a state often thought to be in a different country, had a serious but undiagnosed problem. It was known to many residents, but the mayor seemed blissfully unaware for months of what was going on. Violence and robberies dominated the local newscasts daily. Sometimes, homeless people wandered the streets, some aimlessly talking to themselves and sometimes angrily punching the air.

The crime and other mayoral inaction were causing businesses both bigger and small to consider leaving the city or see their cash flow diminish to dangerously low positions. Mayor R.J. Berry was forced to make some small moves, when the situation continued to deteriorate.

Winter 2016- via CBS news. Click to read more.

However, a little known urban legend said that the mayor had become inwardly obsessed with what he felt he had really accomplished for the city. In private communications with upper level staff, friends and family, it’s said the mayor had even begun referring to his city as Wonderland.

Those who knew better were both flabbergasted and horrified when a local chamber of commerce presented the mayor with a public safety award. They worried that it seemed to further help him edge closer to becoming a legend in his own mind.

We wanted to know what a few of our Joy Junction homeless shelter guests felt about safety in Albuquerque. Their reactions were a mixed bag.

We asked them about walking in downtown “Wonderland” (also known as Albuquerque), if they felt safe, and whether they had answers for our burgeoning crime situation.

One person was quite blunt, saying “Crime in downtown Albuquerque is getting more dangerous and violent everyday. No, I do not feel safe (there). If I have to go downtown, I leave as soon as I am finished with business. I do not have any answers to our increasing crime issues.”

One man said what many of us know, that crime is “really high” in downtown.

“Walking throughout the areas I have been in, I always feel a sudden sensation come over me and I am instantly on guard. I have seen here a different side of addiction that I have not been exposed to.”

He added, “We were moved to the point we sent our teenage daughters to finish school in another state.”

One woman said that in her opinion, crime in Albuquerque has risen dramatically, especially in the area known as the International Zone (formerly the War Zone).

“Downtown is beginning to be the same way. I don’t know what can possibly be done; maybe more police officers. I have two grandchildren, and I do have concern that they are kept safe even at school. I pray here at Joy Junction that we are kept safe and that no one ever comes and does harm to people here.’

Another woman said she thinks “Albuquerque is focused on extremes like bad, bigger and bolder than the norm.”

She continued, “I do feel safe mostly because I walk safe, stay alert to people surroundings and sound. I adapt to strange or abnormal situations, and react or change my path or seek a different route. I have never really encountered a dangerous situation on the sidewalks. Only a few drunks at the bus stops, and the panhandling for cigarettes and change are maddening and relentless though.”

Her parting shot was, “I have no answers. If I did I would run for city council.”

One woman said she feels that crime in Albuquerque has definitely risen since she moved here in the fall of 2014.

She continued, “Car thefts seem to be happening a lot. There is a lack of respect for law enforcement, and criminals have no fear of consequences … I feel a little apprehensive. Even just going through Downtown in a vehicle is somewhat unnerving.”

She was right. Albuquerque is number one per capita for car thieves in the nation.

She was shocked when her family told her, “‘Do not ever walk especially by yourself anywhere downtown because you can be attacked and the crime is extremely high.’ It is very sad that crime was the first thing I was told (about) when moving here.”

Her solution was to “Put God back in America.

She added, “We need to get on our knees and pray. We as a country are reaping what we have sown, and we will be judged for all our actions and as Christians we know that the end is coming and God’s judgment is coming.”

So what do I think of Berry’s plan? Well, I don’t share the local newspaper’s enthusiasm. Too little and way too late. An enhanced police presence and independent security are good, but what about those who for whatever reason don’t want, or aren’t in a state of mind, to receive help?

Another of the mayor’s efforts is to make downtown cleaner, with more street sweepers and trash pickup. Preventative maintenance would have been a whole lot more helpful. Really, it took a crisis to come up with this?

And then only Mayor Wonderful could have come up with this one. Having strong relationships with businesses downtown, to make sure they stay downtown. And we couldn’t have put this into place before now?

And the grant to the city from Bloomberg Philanthropies for $1.2 million USD. The by now infamous Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce award was given to Berry at least in part for using a portion of it for intelligent ways to solve crime. However, it looks like up until now the funds have been used to develop plans for Albuquerque’s Arts and Culture District.

Never fear, though. The city says plans for public safety initiatives funded by the grant are moving forward.

No one except apparently the mayor thinks his solutions to crime (or homelessness) are magical. This is not (Alice in) Wonderland. The stakes are much higher. For the Silo, Jeremy Reynalds- Joy Junction/HNS (Homeless News Service).

Featured image- Albuquerque Mayor R. J. Berry via PBS.
A portion of this article is satire, and as such is protected speech.

 

 

Supplemental- The other perspective. Downtown Albuquerque residents defend their neighborhood-

 

 

Reader Letter To The Silo Regarding Motion 103 And Hamilton Protest Rally

Dear Silo, there was a protest rally held at City Hall in Hamilton this past weekend. The purpose was to discuss or protest “Motion-103 “the motion put forth by one Ms. Iqra Khalid to stop as she sees it “Islamophobia.” For many the idea of “M-103” seems almost redundant as hate speech and any sort of hate crime based on religion is already under the “Criminal Code, The Charter of Human Rights & The Constitution.” Some have opined that Ms. Khalid is grandstanding & perhaps they may be correct.

The protest was as it went peaceful & low key. The police presence was minimal and well placed. Directly on site there were six uniforms, but a bit further back there were two mounted units, and further back out of sight behind city hall were three more mounted units.

The speaker at this event was a Muslim woman who was well spoken and exhorted the crowd with slogans, chants & political sayings, touting the Liberal regime and downplaying the Conservative aspect.It was my understanding that there would be both aspects of this motion represented at the protest, but for the near 3 hours I was present I only heard one side of the story [but] perhaps another side spoke later. I saw on the 6:00 pm news, things turned a bit ugly, and the police stepped in to quell any further incident, so who knows.

For many, it seemed a “ family event,” and I saw a few children there, [but] in my humble opinion [this] is no place for kids. In the “ Vietnam” years when the protest was clearly in many cases, a daily event, there never were any children present, mostly due to the fact protests can at any given time turn from something sedate to an angry, ugly mess, ergo no kids. I for one seriously have to ponder the parental abilities of such an action.

There was a few tables set up, all proffering their political views, the Communist Party, ( the mainstay at any protest), a painting table where you could add your hand to a large almost like paint-by-numbers setup where you could if so inclined could add your hand to it. There was a Muslim table set up and two young men who would engage you in conversation about their faith and handed out books & pamphlets, one of them at the time I stopped by, was engaged in a somewhat intense conversation with a Christian young man. Several people were working the crowd by handing out flyers, pamphlets and flash cards with their message on it. The “ Socialist group”, ever present at any event, was handing out small flyers promoting  worker solidarity,” the Marxist group was there too, handing out flyers to combat racism, the “ No Borders Manifesto,” an 18 point small booklet promoting a “ grassroots movement “ to promote the movement to the “ new world.” There were “ Stop the War Coalition,” the “ Know your Rights,” group & “ Hamilton Against Fascism,” and regarding [this]protest it seemed a well-rounded outpouring that way.

As I said, as protests go it was for the 3 hours I was there a peaceful, almost fun event. Later after things went south and everyone had done their barking and bitching sessions, they packed up their wares, printed material and children, and went home to read the tea leaves of the event and to generally pat themselves on the back for a job well done.

Protests are an integral part of the Canadian fabric and should be allowed at all times. The message I received from this one was that the potential for “ free speech,“ could be quashed possibly if this motion is put into a bill and becomes law. Do we have concern?? Perhaps as many feel we do, and it becomes the responsibility of all of us, to be open-minded, observant of what our government says and does. It falls to us to yes question what they tell us so that democracy as we live it will be ongoing and ever present so that we may all move forward with a proper sense of things for all who live and come to this great country we know it.

 

James R. Charlton