Because they couldn’t. He bought the bag before they automatically tracked all purchasers with a unique ID on the bags they sell. The CEO of PD actively called the tip line.

    • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      I wouldn’t try to hide out anywhere I’m from. Just personally I’d rather be anonymous rando. If you’ve never been those little motel places on the side of the road don’t care why you’re there and take cash. They could be involved in small time illegal shit too which means they already know what everyone should- Don’t talk to the police.

      • rumba@lemmy.zip
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        8 days ago

        Ideally, they shouldn’t have known he did it. They shouldn’t have had a picture of him unmasked. Nobody would have thought twice about him flying out of BWI He’s got family there.

        You’re just one in a million until you show up in a McDonald’s in Altoona with your face plastered all over the TV and a fake reward, a gun and a fake ID in your bag.

        • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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          8 days ago

          That’s what I want to know, why he kept the gun and fake ID? He had resources presumably to make more if he wanted to continue.

          • rumba@lemmy.zip
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            8 days ago

            We can only presume so much. it’s entirely possible that the stuff was planted on him. But if he did have the manifesto on a Reddit account, months to years prior, and other places…

            When we saw the video we all looked at it and went that looks pretty professional. Then again Hollywood is the only reference most of us have.

            He’s got a good bulldog of a lawyer coming. If he goes down it’s going to be because of a overwhelming amount of evidence not because there were a few plants in his bag.

            The questions you should probably ask are:

            was that license used to check into the hostel

            Was that license used to get the bus ticket from New York City to wherever?

            Does he have a good credible reason to be on a bus from New York to God knows where, stopping in Altoona.

            If that bus ticket was bought with that ID… That’s pretty damning.

            Why not ditch the stuff?

            Maybe he was trying to get caught

            Maybe he was planning to pull something else off (again smart money would be on getting new equipment/id)

            Maybe he was planning on doing himself in, and hadn’t had the opportunity to ditch the ID after getting on the bus.

            Carrying the manifesto however… If that’s not a plant, again it will be in his handwriting with his DNA all through it, That’s just bad form.

            Bottom line, he’s not a professional. And maybe our collective got check of what a professional is, is someone off base.

            • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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              8 days ago

              Good analysis. I’m just going to repeat from the start- I am not a gun professional. I’m barely an amateur. I could make that first shot 9/10, but apparently he hit him in the leg. I can’t imagine the adrenaline. Clearing the gun by racking the slide is not exactly professional either. But he knew the gun so he kept shooting and kept racking.