Chris thinks it’s an insect that’s very close to the camera, but I’m not so sure. Notice that the bottom, a midline change in color, and the top are flat and horizontal. All three pictures are like this (you can see part of it in a third frame). I’m going with drone on this one.
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As far as the object in the air when boosted cop is on the roof: I think that is a bird. The shape changes in a manner consistent with a bird flapping its wings.
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Where is this documented?
Was there confirmation that he had the rangefinder in his pocket while deceased on the roof? That’s a minute detail I don’t have.
I thought that in such a situation the protocol was to empty everything out of the pockets of the suspect, just like it is protocol to move the weapon out of arms reach. The main thing I recall being in his pocket was the remote detonator. I don’t recall ever seeing his rangefinder at all.
Further, I don’t think the deceased shooter on the roof had a cell phone on him, whereas earlier Crooks had one. So perhaps he left some things in his car, including his wallet with his driver’s license, etc. But that raises the question, how exactly did the police make the connection between the deceased shooter on the roof and a particular vehicle with his phone, etc. We know they found his phone and allegedly had trouble cracking into it, but what led them to the car/ phone? Dogs?
Update: I was wrong. A cell phone was found on the shooter (from the Beaver Co. After Action Report)
I don’t recognize this object, however.
And I don’t see any rangefinder.
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I had just finished a deep dive on this because I found a time discrepancy in my timeline related to it that had me confused.
Do you recall early media reports that he was flagged as being suspicious when setting off the metal detectors with his rangefinder but let inside the rally anyways? I do. But later it was stated that he didn’t go inside the rally. Now you would be hard-pressed to find those media reports.
On July 17th, the SS and FBI had a private call with all 100 senators. Sen. Cruz confirmed that for Fox News. I saw the NY Post article about it, where they interviewed Sen. Barasso, who said: “He was identified as a character of suspicion because [he had] a rangefinder as well as a backpack. And this was over an hour before the shooting actually occurred,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)”
Sorry, I linked the wrong article initially.
I confirmed this with an NBC News interview on YouTube with Sen. Barrasso on July 17, 2024. Go to the 7:00 mark.
The NY Post incorrectly put this as 3:00 pm in the article’s timeline, which had me scrambling to figure out Crook’s travels. Now I’m estimation it to be ~4:30-4:45. Regardless of the exact time, that is where Crooks was heading when seen walking in the vendor area.
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According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette timeline he arrived at the rally site at 11am for the first time on Jul 13. I’m not sure though if that information is based on one of the hearings, some FBI info or a local source. I think there’s also some discrepancy between reports about when he arrived and how long he stayed.
Mission failure: What went wrong at the July 13 Trump rally in Butler | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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It’s probably an estimate
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According to the FBI the rifle was originally bought by Crooks’ father but at some point he sold it to his son. So technically it was his rifle and therefore he didn’t need to borrow it.
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The believed version is: He was at the rally at 11am, went back home at 1:30pm, picked his stuff, said parents he goes to the shooting range. 3:45pm back at the rally, flying his drone for 11 minutes. At 4:26pm he’s filmed at the vendor stalls. The backpack story is not solved yet…
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Chris, Just listened and watched, ‘ WE DESERVE ANSWERS TO THESE 3 QUESTIONS.’ Throughout this investigation 2 photos bother me. In the video, position #1 Jason Wood Text, the trees in the background have no leaves and the sky is very gloomy. This is the second time I’v seen this photograph. Where did this photo come from? Thanks! Go team.
That’s what they claimed it for at least. Maybe it was just the remote for his twelve [12] garage doors.
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or they just hoped for a miraculous reincarnation.
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Screenshot from Google Maps. I totally missed that myself initially. It was just used to highlight the door he came out of and the picnic table where he saw whoever he saw.
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Nice find, was only aware that he was catching attention at the magnetometers at one point.
The part with the backpack: To which point in time he refers to when saying he had a rangefinder as well as a backpack. Was that already recognised when he was at the magnetometers or is that generally speaking? When he walked the vendors lane, he didn’t have a backpack.
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Yes, the no backpack is conflicting, but it’s possible Sen. Barasso scrambled his memory of the incident with later comments made during the call. Barasso did not say he was flagged when going trying to go through security, but I remember that being all over the news after the shooting. The NY Post included it in their timeline, which stated that he went into the rally, and which had the time as 3 pm. That caused me all sorts of wasted time trying to make it fit in his travels. Where did that clip come from that you shared?
this is a screenshot from streetview, he painted in where he saw NOT CROOKS (but he thought he did). Crooks was at the vendor lane at this point in time.
ICYMI: Grassley Oversight Unveils ‘Most Detailed Picture Yet’ of Trump Assassination Attempt (senate.gov)
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Nice catch ! Yeah, this is definitely a bird but here it changes direction, so the second object is not the same thing ? Curious…we could indeed have a drone captured on image 
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I know, this little information and editorial updates in the first phase of an event are awful. Sometimes it’s smarter to give it a while so things can settle a bit.
This is the CNN article, they didn’t claim he went inside the secured perimeter:
What happened at the Trump rally? A look at the assassination attempt from start to finish | CNN Politics
"Other attendees had to go through magnetometers, or walk-through metal detectors, to get into the rally.
It was there that one person caught the attention of authorities: Crooks was spotted by local law enforcement, who thought he was acting suspiciously near the magnetometers, according to a senior law enforcement official. They put it out over their radio to keep an eye on him – and that information was passed to the Secret Service as well, according to the source."
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The same CNN 3 days later, they really make it hard to take them serious:
Trump shooter requested Saturday off from work and told colleagues he’d be back at work Sunday, sources say | CNN Politics
By 3 p.m. on Saturday, roughly three hours before the shooting, Crooks was at the security screening area for the rally. He first aroused suspicion when he passed through the magnetometers carrying a rangefinder, which looks similar to a small pair of binoculars and is used by hunters and target shooters to measure distances when setting up a long-range shot, according to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
The rangefinder would not have prevented Crooks from getting through the security screening point, but it did attract the attention of security personnel who kept an eye on him until he left the secure area.
Investigators are unsure of where Crooks went after he left the screening area but the working theory is that he went to his car to retrieve the rifle.
Around the same time witnesses alerted police that Crooks was crawling on the roof of the American Glass Research building, one of the four counter-sniper teams observed Crooks looking at their position through the rangefinder, according to the senior law enforcement official.
“They were looking at him while he was looking at them,” the official said.
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That’s an even better confirmation. The 3 pm has to be wrong, though, or misinformation, since the FBI official testimony is that he arrived ain Butler at 3:45, and flew his drone between ~3:51 and 4:02. That’s 24 minutes before the vendor alley sighting. I do enjoy using my timeline maps. 
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Great map looking good, it’s so helpful to visualize things.
Never really heared about it and didn’t find anything the AP or somebody else reporting, Crooks parked his car at Sheetz. Would you mind sharing a link?
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Here is the article. It’s at the start of their timeline. It is the only reference I have found giving a specific location. Every other media report and official testimony states “near the rally site.” It fits the timeline of Crooks travels that day so far. Just speculating, but if you wanted to create a distraction, and disrupt traffic flow, blow up a gas station on the main roads out of the area, right? More bang for your buck.
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You are right. They are over-doing it.
“Make sure you walk all around the grounds so people really know it’s you. Stand around and make sure we get a couple of pictures/videos of you near the building. Make sure you bring your handy rangefinder that you learned how to use at the range. Bring a backpack, otherwise people will later question how you got the gun to the roof. Just to be safe, when you get up on the roof, you do not need to crawl or move slowly so people don’t see you. Instead, just run/jog and jump your way to the lowest possible rooftop there. I know there are many other less conspicuous rooftops, but the view won’t be as great and remember you are a horrible shot. When people shout at you on the roof and try to get cops to see you are up there, don’t worry. They won’t do anything. You have time to brush your hair and line up your shots.”
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