The FBI on Wednesday gave an update on its investigation into James T. Hodgkinson, the man who opened fire on congressional Republicans as they practiced for a charity baseball game. Reading the AP’s write-up, though, has some people thinking they now know less than they did before about Hodgkinson and his motives.
FBI says gunman acted alone when he shot top House Republican, four others on a Virginia baseball field. https://t.co/3o8R0Rhr2W
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 21, 2017
This is an utterly bizarre thing to claim. "FBI: Gunman who shot congressman had no target in mind" https://t.co/myK7XHnmeL
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) June 21, 2017
He had a list of six Republican names on his person, but let's put that aside and say something unreasonably stupid https://t.co/Bl5w6VE6BA
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) June 21, 2017
Here I'd have thought those he was aiming it would qualify
— Ttr Burner Phone (@SRFitzptrck) June 21, 2017
"All R's on the field were potential targets?"
"Yes."
"So, he wasn't singling out a specific person?"
"No."
"UNCLEAR WHO THE TARGET WAS"
— Matt (@OuttaBoro) June 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/AVonGauss/status/877634073665187841
Once readers make it past the headline — “FBI: Gunman who shot congressman had no target in mind” — they’re told that Hodgkinson, as was reported earlier, did have a piece of paper with the names of six members of Congress written on it, “but the note lacked any further context,” so the legislators listed on it aren’t considered to have been targeted.
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Shooter had list w "6 R Reps written on it…but note lacked any further context." Shooting R Reps is some context. https://t.co/zWNkvGvzCn
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) June 21, 2017
Other than the "further context" of shooting at Republican Reps on a baseball field.
— Dean Clark (@earldean71) June 21, 2017
True: the whole opening fire at a Republican baseball practice does seem to be a big clue to piecing together Hodgkinson’s motive.
https://twitter.com/Greg651/status/877639317941886976
The mask, crow bar, and bolt cutters lacked "further context" despite the stolen items next to them in my client's trunk.
— Dean Clark (@earldean71) June 21, 2017
I would say that the moment he pulled the trigger that day he gave it all the context one could ever need…..
— ⚡️⭐️I. C.?? (@2HemiDude2) June 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/TheRealBepo/status/877638400014241792
As we learned from the New York Times earlier, the shooter lived a troubled home life, and the FBI’s press conference Wednesday again “painted a picture of a down-on-his-luck man with few future prospects. Hodgkinson was taking prescription drugs, although [the FBI’s Tim] Slater did not say what the drugs were for or whether he was abusing them.”
“It was just a pattern of life where you could tell things were not going well,” Slater added.
We may never know why he did it.
— Tn Patriot (@DougVolboy) June 21, 2017
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Related:
New York Times looks at Alexandria shooter’s troubled home life; ‘…little to do with Democratic politics’ https://t.co/gsCZgsvf85
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 18, 2017
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