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Trump shooter practiced at gun range weeks before rally: 'I was sitting next to evil,' witness says

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Trump shooter practiced at gun range weeks before rally: 'I was sitting next to evil,' witness says

Thomas Matthew Crooks tested his shooting prowess at a western Pennsylvania gun range just weeks before last Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Trump, according to a report.

Bill Jenkins said he practiced his firearms skills immediately next to Crooks at the Keystone Shooting Center in Cranberry on June 22 – mere weeks before the July 13 attack, The Sun reported.

“I was sitting next to evil,” Jenkins told the outlet. “I haven’t been able to sleep thinking about it.”

Jenkins, who said he has been interviewed by the FBI, recalled the class instructor extolling Trump during the session – a glorification that may have contributed to Crooks’ determination to carry out the plot.

TRUMP SHOOTER’S SHOCKED TEACHER REVEALS DETAILS OF HIS COLLEGE LIFE

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Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, reportedly practiced at this shooting range before he opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally, injuring Donald Trump and killing a bystander. (AFP handout | Google maps)

“It turns out the instructor and I are Trump supporters,” he said. “We talked about how our country was good under Trump. Our borders were secure, the economy was strong, we were energy independent, and he got things done. I noticed at the time that the kid wasn’t saying anything one way or another, but I could see him smirking.”

In hindsight, Jenkins believes Crooks was muting his animus toward Trump – and that the conversation may well have helped to motivate his assault.

“It’s crossed my mind – did that conversation help push him over the edge?” he said. “It freaks me out a little because a person has died.”

The 20-year-old, who had planned to pursue engineering in college, showed advanced skills on the shooting range, blowing holes in targets from significant distances, Jenkins told the newspaper.

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SEN. BLACKBURN BLASTS SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR FOR PRIORITIZING PARTY OVER ATTEMPTED-ASSASSINATION PROBE

Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, May 30, 2024 after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

Crooks’ shocking volley at the Trump rally grazed Trump in the ear, fatally struck rally goer Corey Comperatore, and injured two others.

Snipers cut him down soon after he launched his attack.

Jenkins, 62, an Air Force veteran, said he was stunned to learn that his training partner had nearly felled a former president.

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“This guy killed a man with a wife and kids and almost plunged the country into chaos by killing Donald Trump,” he said.

The pair’s class lasted for several hours, with Crooks showing a clear familiarity and facility for firearms throughout, Jenkins noted.

“When we went to the range, he started shooting straight away,” he said. “It seemed like he had experience with weapons.”

HOUSE GOP LEADERS DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY ON TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: ‘SO MANY QUESTIONS’ 

Thomas Matthews Crooks opened fire on former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (Google maps | Handout | Wires)

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Crooks brought his own 9mm handgun to class and dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, the outlet reported.

The long-haired gunman said little but was polite throughout, Jenkins recalled.

After yet another accurate target strike, Jenkins lauded his younger counterpart.

“I congratulated him on how good he’d done, and he just laughed,” Jenkins said.

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Investigators have yet to reveal a motive for the assassination attempt and are continuing to comb through Crooks’ background.

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Massachusetts

Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News

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Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News


EASTON, Mass. (WBZ) — Police body camera video shows an Easton, Massachusetts, officer rescuing a 78-year-old Raynham man from a burning car on Friday morning.

A Mack dump truck was experiencing problems on the side of Turnpike Street just after 2 a.m. when a Ford pickup truck struck the back of it, according to police.

The pickup truck then became stuck under the dump truck, trapping the driver, Francis Leverone, inside. A Toyota Camry then hit the back of the pickup truck and caught fire, police said.

Easton police officer Dean Soucie arrived at the crash and saw that the two vehicles were on fire. Video shows Soucie rushing over before breaking the driver’s side window and then, with the help of the two witnesses, freeing Leverone from the pickup truck. Soucie said he was confused but conscious.

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“As I reached inside the vehicle, one of the passersby — he actually jumped into the cab of the truck, and he helped me free the individual,” Soucie said.

They then carried the driver to safety.

Leverone was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a Boston hospital. He received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

No one else was injured in the crash.

Dee Leverone told WBZ her husband is doing OK. “I’m just thankful for the people that got him out,” she said. “Very thankful.”

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After watching the police body-cam video on the news she said, “I was shocked, I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I just couldn’t believe it. His truck is like melted.”

She says she realized that something was wrong last night when her husband never made it home from work.

“I kept trying to call him and call him, and I finally got a hold of him at like 4:30 a.m., and he was at (Good Samaritan Hospital) and he told me he’s gotten in an accident,” Dee said.

She says he’s recovering at the Boston Medical Center and being treated for a dislocated hip.

“He’s a trooper,” Dee said. “He’s a strong man — and you know he’s 78, but you know he’s a toughie. He definitely is a toughie.”

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Soucie commended the help of the two witnesses and said that before he arrived at the crash, they had attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher and removed a gasoline tank from the pickup truck before it could ignite.

“They jumped into action like it was nothing,” Soucie said. “Those two individuals were absolutely awesome.”

Easton Police Chief Keith Boone said that he is “extremely proud” of Soucie and the witnesses.

“He saved a life last night,” Chief Boone said. “He is an exemplary police officer and this is just one example. I think he’s a hero.”

Turnpike Street was closed for several hours following the crash. Easton Police are investigating.

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New Hampshire

New photo released in unsolved 1997 homicide of a N.H. woman

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New photo released in unsolved 1997 homicide of a N.H. woman


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“Our family wants to know what happened, who did this and why,” said the family of the victim.

A new photo has been released of the victim in a nearly 30-year-long unsolved murder case, in the hope of finding any new potential witnesses in the cold case, New Hampshire officials said. 

“Our family wants to know what happened, who did this and why,” the family of Rosalie Miller said in a press release. “We miss her and want to give her peace.”

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Miller was last seen on December 8, 1996 at her apartment in Manchester. At the time of her disappearance, Miller had plans on meeting friends in the Auburn, New Hampshire area, officials said.

Her body was found on January 20, 1997 in a partially wooded spot on a residential lot along the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn, officials said in the release.

The autopsy report declared Miller’s death a homicide by asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation, N.H. officials wrote. 

As part of a new effort to garner public help with the case, an “uncirculated” photo of Miller, 36, is being distributed “in hopes it may jog the memory of someone who saw or spoke with her in the winter of 1996,” Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall announced on behalf of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit in a joint press release.

Investigators are especially hoping to talk to anyone who was in contact with Miller in December of 1996 or anyone “who may have seen her in the vicinity of the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn during that time,” officials said in the release.

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The newly released photo of Rosalie Miller, 36, who was strangled to death nearly 30 years ago. – Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall

“We are releasing this new photograph today because we believe someone out there has information, perhaps a detail they thought was insignificant at the time, that could be the key to solving this case and bringing justice for Rosalie and those who loved her,” Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, New Hampshire Cold Case Unit Chief said in the release.

The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit encourages anyone with any amount of information to contact the group at [email protected] or (603) 271-2663.

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New Jersey

Blizzard causes heavy damage to New Jersey animal refuge

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Blizzard causes heavy damage to New Jersey animal refuge


A New Jersey animal shelter is asking for the public’s help after last month’s blizzard did heavy damage to its property in Ocean County.

On social media, Popcorn Park Animal Refuge posted a video and described the fury of the storm. saying that the blizzard “caused unexpected damage… impacting habitats, fencing, structures, and critical infrastructure.”

The nonprofit animal haven says its team “worked tirelessly to keep every animal safe during the storm,” however, “the aftermath has left us facing urgent repairs and significant financial strain.”

Photo: Popcorn Park Animal Refuge

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The refuge says this winter has been “especially challenging.” It says “repeated severe weather has forced extended closures to the public, further limiting vital support and creating an added burden during an already difficult recovery period,” adding “we need our community now more than ever.”

Popcorn Park was established in 1977, according to its website. It’s part of the Associated Humane Societies — which bills itself as New Jersey’s largest animal welfare organization. Popcorn Park describes itself as “a sanctuary for abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused, or elderly farm animals, birds, and wildlife (domestic and exotic).”



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