In this prior post, the audio forensics performed on the shots fired at the Trump rally were checked against the hypothesis of a shooter on the water tower which was situated to the northeast of the podium. Here we obtain ground distances for each of the 3 audio signals, though the largest distance suggests it wasn’t a ground distance.
Here is an aerial view of the site (marked at left) from a camera situated at 9 kilometers (9,000 meters) above the surface of the earth:
*Images are all from Google Earth
After zooming in and overlaying a circle centered on the podium, with a radius matching the audio signal of the first several shots fired, you get this:
The red X marks the spot of the suspected shooter lying on top of the first building to the north of the podium. The first volley of shots comes from this distance, as proven by the audio recordings, but later shots came from longer distances. Here is the ground distance for the middle-range shot that shows up in the audio:
Notice how it does not quite reach as far as the water tower, due east/northeast from the suspected shooter (from the red X). If common muzzle velocities of rifles are implied, then it appears to rule out a shot from the water tower. But the longest distance indicated by analysis of the audio file suggests a shot from up in the air:
Ground shots from a distance of 400 meters away from the podium, but in north-south directions, all appear to lose “line-of-sight” due to the presence of one obstruction or the other. A more-likely cause for a bullet that passed the podium from 400 meters away would be one fired from an aerial position, such as from a drone.
As said before, the hope is that experts in audio forensics will take up the task of offering comprehensive explanation for the 3 unique audio signatures leading up to the final “kill shot” on the suspected gunman.