The Amazing Survival of Trump

[Charles Collins]

Here's a preliminary animation based on when I believe the first shot arrived (00:00) and ending when I believe the second shot arrived (00:90). The third bullet arrives, by my guesstimate at 01:65 (that moment in the animation is excluded). Thus .90 sec between shots 1 and 2; .75 between shots 2 and 3. As sound lags behind the arrival of the bullets, I have made the arrival of the bullets .15 sec before the sounds were recorded. That lag may have to adjusted.

I do see an unusual rolling of the right shoulder and forward-slouching of the head prior to the right hand being raised. I have the right hand raising up at the very moment the second bullet arrived.

Well done! Thanks! Notice the lady at the very top center. Just above the sign. She turns her head to look in the direction the shots came from. A reaction to the sound I would think.

[Charles Collins]

Good observation.

If Trump is just raising his right hand as the second bullet arrives (00:90), then it's not going to coincide with the bullet streak picture. The right hand is not at chest level for another 00.15 sec. Did the NYT impose sound lag onto their animation; that would help explain it. Back to the drawing board.

I think that there are a few variables that would need to be considered to be able to synchronize the sound exactly. But Mills’ bullet streak photo is a very exact reference point to start from. The distances involved from the muzzle to Trump and to the microphone location. Analyze the sound signature to try to separate the muzzle blast from the sonic boom of the bullet itself. Trump’s hand appears to be at about the level of his mouth when the bullet streak is seen in the photo. The sound of the muzzle blast would be slightly delayed due to the distance. But the sonic boom should be closer to the time of the bullet streak photo.

[Richard Smith]

Let's consider a different scenario. The rifle bullet struck an object. It produced a spray of fragments that continued downrange which slightly wounded five men. Trump and the four officers standing near him.

Trump's head was not turn just so. The right side of his head was exposed. A fragment struck his ear. And would have continued on to strike his skull, likely killing him, had it been a rifle bullet. But being a fragment, it just gave a minor wound to the ear and was deflected away from the head. Resulting in Trump having a minor wound, just like the four other officers.

I haven't seen anything about "four other officers" being hit by fragments.  Where does this come from?

[Steve M. Galbraith]

I haven't seen anything about "four other officers" being hit by fragments.  Where does this come from?

It's in the story below: "Investigates has learned that four Pittsburgh police officers assigned to the former president’s motorcade yesterday suffered minor injuries during the shooting.
The four motorcycle officers were part of Donald Trump’s escort to and from the rally in Butler.

Sources tell Chief Investigator Rick Earle the officers were just feet away from Trump when shots rang out. The four officers suffered minor injuries from flying debris caused by the bullets. Sources say the officers were hit with either plastic or metal fragments when the bullets struck objects nearby."

And Trump's doctor, Ronny Jackson, said his nephew, who was in the crowd, was grazed in the neck by an unknown object.

Link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/live-updates-apparent-shots-fired-223759785.html

[Charles Collins]

The sonic booms arriving at the same moment as the bullets (yellow arrows)? A smaller set of three spikes identical in separation (white arrows) follow the three larger spikes. The smaller spikes are probably the report of each muzzle blast, just not recorded as loud as the sonic booms?

So virtually no time lag necessary if we use where the Times placed the bullets in their animation? The sonic boom set-of-spikes coincides with the arrival of each bullet?

Mi no comprende. What say you?

If the recording microphone is on the podium right in front of Trump, then this makes sense to me. The small distance from the bullets to the microphone would make any time delay be so small that it would be virtually negligible. And it makes sense to me that the microphone location would be on the podium.

[Joe Elliott]

I haven't seen anything about "four other officers" being hit by fragments.  Where does this come from?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/live-updates-apparent-shots-fired-223759785.html

11 Investigates has learned that four Pittsburgh police officers assigned to the former president’s motorcade yesterday suffered minor injuries during the shooting.

The four motorcycle officers were part of Donald Trump’s escort to and from the rally in Butler.

Sources tell Chief Investigator Rick Earle the officers were just feet away from Trump when shots rang out. The four officers suffered minor injuries from flying debris caused by the bullets.

Sources say the officers were hit with either plastic or metal fragments when the bullets struck objects nearby.

They were treated at the scene. They were okay to escort Trump back to the airport in Pittsburgh last night after he was treated at Butler Memorial Hospital.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/one-other-detail

A report from local TV station WPXI at 4:50 PM Sunday said this (emphasis added) …

11 Investigates has learned that four Pittsburgh police officers assigned to the former president’s motorcade yesterday suffered minor injuries during the shooting.

The four motorcycle officers were part of Donald Trump’s escort to and from the rally in Butler.

Sources tell Chief Investigator Rick Earle the officers were just feet away from Trump when shots rang out. The four officers suffered minor injuries from flying debris caused by the bullets.

Sources say the officers were hit with either plastic or metal fragments when the bullets struck objects nearby.

[Joe Elliott]

Let me list two groups of gunshot victims:

Group A:

President Kennedy
Governor Connally
Tromas Crooks
Corey Comperatore
Butler PA 57 year old anonymous man, initially in critical condition, now released
Butler PA 74 year old anonymous man, initially in critical condition, now released

Group B:

James Tague
Donald Trump
4 police officers standing near Trump

What does the Group A people have in common? All were seriously wounded or killed. What does the Group B people have in common? All suffered only minor injuries.

What else do the people in Group A people have in common? They were hit by a one or two rifle bullets. What else do the people in Group B have in common? They were hit by fragments.

If a person is seriously injured or killed, it should not be assumed that they were hit by a fragment. Unless the evidence is overwhelming. Otherwise, the default belief should be that they were struck by a bullet.

If a person has minor gunshot injuries, it should not be assumed that they were hit by a bullet. Unless the evidence is overwhelming. Otherwise, the default belief should be that they were struck by a fragment.

Now, why is it we should assume that Trump was w by a bullet. But the four officers standing near him were hit by fragments?