BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio — By now, you've probably have seen the terrifying video of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a weekend rally in Pennsylvania.
The alleged assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was roughly 150 yards away. We wondered how hard of a shot that would be.
Doug Murillo, a firearms instructor with Action Defense in Broadview Heights, used a simulator to demonstrate the rifle Crooks is believed to have used: a commercial brand AR-15. Perhaps the most infamous weapon in America today, its range can be up to 500 yards.
Murillo, a former Marine, said he believes Crooks laid down on the roof of a nearby building to have more control of the gun.
"By what the pictures I've seen so far, yes," Murillo said, adding Crooks would also have placed his hand down and used "some controlled breathing."
According to Murillo, that's why Crooks was able to hit Trump, and investigators believe the former president moving his head slightly just before the shots were fired probably saved his life. Murrillo also thinks the alleged gunman managed to get few shots because his trigger finger was slower, and therefore, snipers were able to kill him and save lives.
Unfortunately, one man died and two others besides Trump were injured.
Murillo, a former Marine, believes it's always "the person behind" the gun that "makes it bad." However, while he used a professional AR-15 while he was in the military, he understands the weapon available to the public should only be meant for recreation.
"No gun is meant to hunt people," he said. "They're for self-defense. They're tools."