Trump 'extremely lucky' to have survived assassination attempt, former special forces soldiers say

Former President Trump is "extremely lucky" to be alive after a deadly assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, according to two special forces soldiers.

"He is extremely lucky to be alive," James Pechi, a Marine veteran who later served as a Green Beret, said of the former president in an interview with Fox News Digital.

"I was trying to look at this, trying to figure out what was the shot, what was going on," he added. "It sounded like he shot five times, and then it looked like he grazed [Trump's] ear or something. … It obviously did some damage."

Pechi – who took part in the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (SOTIC), now known as the Special Forces Sniper Course, during his tenure in the military – insisted "there's no ifs, ands or buts about" the fact that Trump could have lost his life at the rally if the bullet had come into closer contact.

SENATE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AND SECURITY FAILURE

Echoing Pechi, Gary Seideman, a former Green Beret chief warrant officer, said Trump was the beneficiary of "good fortune" after surviving the shooter's attempt to take his life.

"The biggest thing is the way he turned, the way it hit his ear and everything, it was just good fortune, and that's all it was," Seideman said. "It's unfortunate the other person was killed there."

"So basically, how Trump was [positioned], if it was at a different angle ... Trump's head would have exploded," he added.

PHOTO GALLERY: ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

Regarding the shooter – identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from western Pennsylvania – Pechi said, "This was someone that has, obviously, some serious mental health issues."

Crooks reportedly shot at Trump from a rooftop perch some 130 yards away during a rally in the small town, striking the upper part of Trump’s right ear while the former president was speaking to rallygoers ahead of this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

One attendee was killed and two others were injured during the incident, the agency said, and Crooks was shot dead.

The Pennsylvania State Police identified the victims on Sunday: 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, who was killed; 57-year-old David Dutch, who is in stable condition; and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, who is also in stable condition.

"Regardless of what anyone says, how mentally unhealthy they are, you would never shoot into a group of people like that and not expect to kill someone," Pechi said.

"It almost sounded like it was a .22 style instead of a .223, 5.56, almost like a range gun," Pechi added, speculating about the type of weapon that Crooks may have used. "But with the audio and everything else going on there, you know, it could have been bigger."

Crooks was from Bethel Park, which is a Pittsburgh suburb about an hour south from where the assassination attempt took place.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. He was one of nearly two dozen students from the school to earn a $500 "star award" from the National Math and Science Initiative.

An online recording of his graduation ceremony shows him walking the stage to minimal applause and briefly posing with a school official, the New York Times reported.

Fox News' Andrea Vacchiano and Scott McDonald contributed to this report.

Raiders' Davante Adams rips former teammate Jimmy Garoppolo in 'Receiver' docuseries

Following the success of last year's "Quarterback" docuseries, cameras followed several pass catchers throughout the 2023 NFL season.

"Receiver" premiered on Netflix earlier this week. The docuseries gives a behind-the-scenes look at the 2023 seasons of Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Notably, Adams did not always appear to be on the same page as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo last season. Some scenes in "Receiver" appeared to highlight the disconnect between Adams and Garoppolo.

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Garoppolo's apparent failure to deliver passes with any level of consistency last year seemed to be a sticking point for Adams.

"This is f---ing pathetic, bro," Adams said after Garoppolo overthrew a pass during a game against the Detroit Lions. "Just throw the f---ing ball, man! F---. Tired of this f---ing bulls---," Adams continued as he slammed his helmet on the ground near the bench.

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In a separate sequence, Adams appears to voice his general frustration about playing with Garoppolo. The wide receiver also suggested that the quarterback play would make him want to leave the Raiders.

"I gotta get the f--- outta here before I lose my f---ing life," Adams said. "I ain’t never been hit so many f---ing times in my career. Every game, I get f---ed up."

Garoppolo entered the 2023 campaign as the Raiders starter. But, he was eventually replaced by rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell due to injury, in combination with a string of poor performances.

Garoppolo's benching coincided with the Raiders' disappointing 3-5 start and the firing of coach Josh McDaniels.

At one point in the show, Adams confirmed that he backed the Raiders decision to bench Garoppolo in favor of O'Connell.

The Raiders released Garoppolo in March, and he later signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams. Garoppolo, a two-time Super Bowl winner, will serve a two-game suspension at the start of the 2024 season for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy.

Garoppolo inked a three-year, $73.75 million contract with Las Vegas last year. He finished the season with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had a six-year stint with the 49ers before joining the Raiders. 

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