There's no way a 22LR @ 200+ yards is going to literally blow anyone's brains out. Just rank speculation, but perhaps right at the critical moment, the unlucky bystander stood up and got in the way of the shot. The meaningful one.
IDK where the bleachers were in relation to the stage and the rooftop, or where precisely he was hit, but those factors alone might more or less rule out the rifle shooter.
It sounds ridiculous to think someone could pull out a pistol, shoot someone in the head (albeit accidentally), and just walk off, but I think you have to consider it in terms of that famous "passing the basketball" test.
Everyone's attention snaps to the sound of gunfire and, for all practical purposes, lots of stuff suddenly becomes invisible. Errant shot, mission failed, blend into the chaotic crowd.
I think, as you mention, there was someone with a suppressed handgun in the crowd. There's this report we have to account for:
ER Doctor at Trump Rally Says He Attempted to Save Man’s Life in the Crowd Who Was Shot in Head (VIDEO) (TGP 7/13/2024)
There's no way a 22LR @ 200+ yards is going to literally blow anyone's brains out. Just rank speculation, but perhaps right at the critical moment, the unlucky bystander stood up and got in the way of the shot. The meaningful one.
IDK where the bleachers were in relation to the stage and the rooftop, or where precisely he was hit, but those factors alone might more or less rule out the rifle shooter.
It sounds ridiculous to think someone could pull out a pistol, shoot someone in the head (albeit accidentally), and just walk off, but I think you have to consider it in terms of that famous "passing the basketball" test.
Everyone's attention snaps to the sound of gunfire and, for all practical purposes, lots of stuff suddenly becomes invisible. Errant shot, mission failed, blend into the chaotic crowd.