Do you have ideas as to why a conservative kid from Pennsylvania would try to shoot a Republican presidential candidate? And why was security so inadequte?
By The Horse
@TheHorse (214031)
Walnut Creek, California
July 16, 2024 11:42pm CST
I am scratching my head. So the shooter was bullied. But there is no evidence for overt mental illness. Except for the fact that the kid's father called the police when his son didn't come home, and had his rifle.
The kid's family was "Republican," and had Trump signs on their lawn. The kid failed somehow to get into his high school gun club, assuming such like existed (I never fully trust the news). His family had many weapons (so the news claims).
He hung out with kids with Trump hats. But was he accepted by them? Or was he bullied by them because he was "not a good enough shot," or whatever?
I don't really know.
Do you have a hypothesis as to what would lead a bullied 20-year-old young Republican man to shoot at a Republican political candidate?
Could he have been trying to prove himself to the MAGA kids who may not have fully accepted him?
And why was security so lax at an event featuring a major political candidate?
I just want sleep.
9 people like this
8 responses
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
17 Jul
I have never been a conspiracy theorist. But the entire thing was weird. I watched it happen live, I had turned on the news about 2 minutes beforehand. As has been said, it was weird, not a lot of panic, the people just...stayed there. And how did they miss not securing the rooftop?
A lot of questions, a lot of wondering if there is more to this...it's all just weird.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (214031)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jul
It's funny. Funny ga ga, not funny ha ha. My brain has been working like that of a conspiracy theorist as well. Can political moderates be conspiracy theorists? It really does all seem odd. And was some rogue country like I r a n planning something on the same day? Could knowledge of that distracted Secret Service and local law enforcement?
2 people like this
@TheHorse (214031)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Jul
@MarieCoyle There are videos of the kid on the roof. And of people pointing to him. I believe them all to be real. How could the Secret Service not have known?
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (34016)
•
18 Jul
@TheHorse
I was listening to news while driving, cannot remember the station or network--but it was said that Secret Service knew for some time that there was someone on that roof? Seriously?
1 person likes this
@porwest (85053)
• United States
17 Jul
I don't think he was conservative. He only registered as a Republican so he could be eligible to vote for Nikki Haley in the primary against Donald Trump. Prior to that he paid dues to a Democrat organization. His views are clearly not conservative. His family may have been, but that doesn't make for a hill of beans.
People are trying very hard to connect this monster with the GOP and conservatism, and of course we all know why that is.
AND of COURSE the media will do all they can to try and make that connection and suppress ANY information found that would negate that.
The media does things with PURPOSE. Just like when a Hispanic man gunned down an innocent black kid. They went out of their way and fell over themselves insisting that Hispanic man was white.
I think there are only a couple of things to focus on here and that matter. A 20 year old kid tried to assassinate a former president and there was a breakdown in the Secret Service protections. Those are the things that we should be looking at more than anything rather than trying to focus on what party this kid supposedly attached himself to.
I mean, think about it. Of all the priests who raped little boys, weren't they ALL Catholics? What does that have to do with Catholicism or the ideals and doctrines of the Church? Everybody has bad apples. But the bad ones do not define the bunch, or what the bunch represents on the whole.
They were Catholic priests who raped little boys. It's the only part of the story that begs getting to the bottom of. You don't question Catholicism. You question why certain Catholic priests rape little boys.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (214031)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jul
I am sure we will learn more about him. What were you doing when you were 20? Our views are still liquid at that age, based on a combination of our parents' views and perhaps rebellion against those views. I was in college at the time. I was a Liberal, but the seeds of my later Conservatism had already been sown by my experiences on the South Side of Chicago. I think I already liked to bait Liberals as well as Conservatives. I was in the process of changing my major from math and physics to psychology and music. My girlfriend was an Iowa girl who played classical guitar. I thought that was pretty cool. That's what I remember about being 20.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (214031)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jul
What case are you referring to here? There was a similar case many years ago involving a kid named Trayvon Martin, who attacked a Latino "neighborhood watch" guy and was shot and killed. As someone who grew up "in the 'hood" (actually adjacent to the 'hood) I knew something didn't sound right, and I followed that case closely.
"Just like when a Hispanic man gunned down an innocent black kid. They went out of their way and fell over themselves insisting that Hispanic man was white."
2 people like this
@annierose (21589)
• Philippines
17 Jul
It’s definitely puzzling. Bullying and the pressure to fit in can push people to extremes. The lack of security is surprising too. Hopefully, more details will emerge to clarify things. Get some rest!
2 people like this
@TheHorse (214031)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Jul
@annierose It's amazing to me how many people have strong opinions but do NOT do their own research.
1 person likes this
@sabtraversa (13822)
• Italy
17 Jul
Yes, it could be peer pressure, or he felt overwhelmed by his parents.
I think he might have also felt frustrated he didn't serve in the military or found a career in STEM, but ended up working in a nursing home as a kitchen aide.
Then a former schoolmate claimed Crooks tried out for the rifle team but failed due to poor aim, while the school district said there's no proof Crooks tried out for the team.
It would be interesting if it was to be true, but will we ever know? 
2 people like this
@sabtraversa (13822)
• Italy
17 Jul
@TheHorse It was most, if not all, from this article from BBC.
I also read dietary aide, but it's about the same thing except people in nursing homes might need to follow special diets so the dietary kind has to be mindful of that.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It's more of an education thing but I hope it makes sense to have it applied to careers. 
The 20-year-old registered Republican purchased ammunition the day of the rally, authorities say.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (214031)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jul
@sabtraversa Just read the article. Thanks. I had not known that he went to a Community College and had been admitted to a University.
"The Community College of Allegheny, or CCAC, has confirmed that Crooks attended the school between September 2021 and May 2024. He graduated with an associate degree in engineering science."
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (102054)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Jul
There is a lot of questions that will never get answered
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@LindaOHio (170715)
• United States
17 Jul
So many questions. So few answers. Have a good day.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (214031)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Jul
@LindaOHio I'd like to hear from the kid's parents. And from his earlier teachers.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (214031)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Jul
@LindaOHio In time, I assume.
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@LeaPea2417 (37339)
• Toccoa, Georgia
17 Jul
I think he was mentally unstable but I don't think he acted alone.
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@TheHorse (214031)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Jul
@LeaPea2417 I am kicking back now and taking in information.
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