Unanswered Questions. The shooting of Matt Mika at the Republican Congressional baseball practice.

There are some unanswered questions about the shooting of Matt Mika during the Congressional baseball practice, last week, and this thread aims to sort through them. Based on the eyewitness accounts of the shooting, at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, on June 15, it’s unclear how Matt Mika came to be injured so gravely and by so many bullets. This post will take two parts, so please hold off responding until I am finished posting them.

***

I’ve placed specific links and quotes below, but to summarize:

Matt Mika was shot approximately 4 to 5 times in the chest and arm during the Congressional baseball practice shooting. No witnesses claim to have seen him shot, although they do claim to have seen him lying already injured outside the chain link fence behind first base dugout, and next to/behind a vehicle (presumably a Capitol Police officer vehicle), where two Capitol police officers were also situated. The entire shooting has been estimated to have taken place over the course of approximately ten minutes.

The gunman, James Hodgkinson, reportedly began shooting from behind third base, and (near) the third base dugout, outside the chain link fence on that side of the field. At some point, after Steve Scalise and Matt Mika were already shot, the gunman began to walk from the third base area towards the home base area and then turn to approach Capitol police officers situated behind the first base dugout.

It was at that point, the gunman was shot by Capitol (or Alexandria) police and taken into custody.

***

In reading eyewitness accounts, I am left with several questions:

• Matt Mika was reportedly shot and lying injured behind the first base dugout, but this is also the area most of those involved ran towards to take cover believing it to be the most safe area (given the shooter was allegedly somewhere behind third base and outside the chain link fence on that side). How was Matt Mika shot multiple times in the chest and arm with obstacles, like the first base dugout, bleachers, and two layers of chain link fence in between the gunman and him?

• Was Matt Mika shot with a rifle or a pistol? The shooter reportedly had both type weapons.

• What has Matt Mika stated about his shooting to his family and investigators? He was reportedly communicating via notes hours after the shooting, and has since left the ICU and is presumably able to communicate verbally now.

• Why is information on Mika and the events around his shooting so scant?

• Was there a delay in Capitol police officers’ response to the shooting?

• Did Mike Conaway, or any other witnesses who state they ran outside the gate and behind the first base dugout, see Matt Mika shot and, if so, why haven’t they mentioned it or when they believe it happened? Those types of accounts were given for Steve Scalise, but not for Matt Mika.

• Was Matt Mika targeted specifically given the location and number of his gunshot wounds in comparison with the other victims?

There are other questions, as well.

***

Before proceeding to relevant facts & circumstances, please review the diagram of the scene, below, which I prepared based on witness statements (open in new tab to zoom in):


***

Some facts and circumstances at issue:

• Matt Mika is a lobbyist for Tyson Foods.

“According to Mika’s LinkedIn page, he has been working as a lobbyist for Tyson since January 2011. His current title is Director of Government Relations. He describes his job as “handling both state and federal issues, including issues related to the Farm Bill and the Committees on Agriculture."

Link

• A key witness during the event is Mike Conaway, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. He would likely know Matt Mika, but even days after the shooting he still refers to Mika as a “staffer or a lobbyist,” as if he isn’t sure who he saw injured.

• Matt Mika was the only victim shot more than once. Most reports simply say “multiple times,” however, the following sourced report is more specific in saying “four to five times:”

"It sounds like he was shot four to five times," Palsrok said, after talking to Mika's brother in law. "And it sounds like he's in critical condition."

• Matt Mika was shot in the chest and arm, while the other victims were shot lower…hip, legs, ankle.

• Witnesses state they believe that Steve Scalise was shot with the second bullet fired or a subsequent one:

Rep. Moe Brooks:

“I was on deck about to hit batting practice, on the third base side of home plate, and I hear a loud “bam.” And I look around and behind third base ... I see a rifle.

And I see a little bit of a body and then I hear another “blam,” and I realize that there’s an active shooter. At the same time, I hear Steve Scalise over near second base scream.”

Rep. Mike Conaway:

There was a delay. The second gunshot went off. People started running off the field.

I went over behind the first base dugout, tried to find out where the shooter was. Scalise was down in the outfield. One of the staffers—or lobbyist, he’s down behind a car, he’s been shot in the chest.(Note: This had to be Matt Mika because everyone else is accounted for and other witness statements corroborate that it was Mika lying there.)”

(Continued…)

• Mike Conaway states he was at first base when the shooting began, and the only open gate out of the field was next to the first base dugout. So, he would have reached the back of the first base dugout very quickly:

“Several of us were taking ground balls in the infield that were hit from the guys taking batting practice,” Conaway said. “I was at first base, Scalise was at second (Alabama Rep. Gary Palmer) was at short and (Mississippi Rep. Trent Kelly) was at third, and everything is great. We’re just playing baseball.”…

…Conaway described a loud noise — almost like an explosion — that caught everyone’s attention before he saw the gunman.

“It was louder than a gunshot; there was just something odd about it,” he said. “I look up and see a guy behind the third base dugout on the fence with a rifle.”

“I went out behind the dugout, over where the Capitol Police officers were,” he said. “They got their guns out. They don’t know where the shooter is because he’s cloaked from them behind the grandstands and the backstops and all that stuff.”

“I am telling them he’s coming down the third base line, so they’re looking at him,” he said.

“At some point in this exchange, a ricochet or a bullet that went through a tire hit special agent Griner in the ankle, so she’s down,” he said, also recalling seeing an injured person lying on the ground between the two officers. (Note, again: This had to be Matt Mika because everyone else is accounted for and other witness statements corroborate that it was Mika lying there.)

“Shots ring out and (the shooter) goes down,” he said, noting the gunman switched from shooting with a rifle to a pistol. “I don’t know exactly who shot him. He goes down. I went over to see him, they rolled him over to his stomach, put handcuffs on him, and I saw the rifle on the ground a ways away, his pistol on the ground.”

Once police had the shooter secured, Conaway said he made his way over to check on Mika, who had been shot in the chest and sustained the worst injury. Barth was shot in the calf.

• No witnesses to the event claim to have seen Matt Mika shot, but like Mike Conaway, a few others do claim to witness him lying behind the first base dugout, outside the fence, next to/behind a vehicle (possibly a Capitol Police SUV), 10 feet near the shed behind the first place dugout, and lying between two standing Capitol Police Officers AFTER he was shot.

All of those accounts can be found here and here:
Link1
Link 2

• Tyson Foods, based out of Arkansas, has had a history that is questionable. Lobbying violations, SEC violations, a drug-running investigation, human trafficking indictment….there’s even an insider-commodities scandal involving the Clintons.

***

I cannot reconcile how Matt Mika came to be shot, so many times, and lying where he was given the position of the gunman and/or without any witnesses to his shooting.

Mika’s family has been guarded with the info they have made public. They did release a couple of public statements very quickly to say that Matt was conscious and communicating via notes.

I have other thoughts and questions about how this shooting took place, but this is a good place to start the discussion. I had hoped to bring you a more polished thread but I’ve had other demands IRL, and if I don’t post this, now, I am afraid I won’t before the topic is no longer timely or interesting to ATSers

I want feedback, guys!

These are two great eyewitness links....

Link1
Link 2

Tyson Foods, based out of Arkansas, has had a history that is questionable. Lobbying violations, SEC violations, a drug-running investigation, human trafficking indictment….there’s even an insider-commodities scandal involving the Clintons.

Honestly, that right there could be the answer to the whole thing. This guy may have known a bit too much and was the actual target, with the rest just for cover. He was shot multiple time in the chest, while others had wounds much lower. They've made a huge deal out of Scalise, but he was hit in the hip. Think about it...all other wounds at waist level or lower, but one guy takes 4 to 5 rounds in the chest. Makes you wonder who the real target was.

I find it odd that The FBI, in spite of the obvious
is seeminly downplaying the political aspect
of this shooting.

CNBC reports the gunman had a list of six names.
www.cnbc.com...

The FBI stops short of calling it a hit list.

The account of the gunmans activities in the
days up to the shooting indicate he was
perusing news accounts. The New York Times
had reportedly published the date and place
of the baseball practice in the weeks prior.

It seems the gunman wanted an opportunity
to shoot many Republicans in one go.

Yet other parts, such as his mechanic's account
That he wanted to make sure his van would make
it home mechanically 'speaking, and check the tires.

I have not looked specifically into Matt, however
I will now. Just wanted to toss out my thoughts,
and I admit something seems amiss with the entire story.

Very sad for the victims, thankfully there is hope
they will recover.

Good work MME.

"Louder than a gunshot"?
Very strange statement, don't you think?
Did he mean "louder than the other gunshots" from behind 3rd base?
This is my conspiratorial thought: Mika was targeted by a 2nd shooter who hit him at close range with buckshot.
This would explain both the loudness and the multiple wounds.
If he was involved in anything to do with the Clintons or an investigation of them it would not surprise me a bit.
Why didn't the shooter go after the person on 3rd base first since they were closest?
Even the shortstop was close than Scalise at 2nd base yet he was hit with the 2nd shot?
This is pretty strange and I hadn't really paid much attention to any details of the event.
Good thread, thought provoking as usual.



Eta: I had read the shooter's weapon was an SKS rifle - a piss-poor choice due to their lack of accuracy, especially if the rifle was not scoped. Considering where everyone else was hit compared to Mika I think they were shot by different shooters. If the FBI is handling this (while NOT calling it terrorism) then I am extremely suspicious of the whole thing.

originally posted by: DAVID64

Tyson Foods, based out of Arkansas, has had a history that is questionable. Lobbying violations, SEC violations, a drug-running investigation, human trafficking indictment….there’s even an insider-commodities scandal involving the Clintons.

Honestly, that right there could be the answer to the whole thing. This guy may have known a bit too much and was the actual target, with the rest just for cover. He was shot multiple time in the chest, while others had wounds much lower. They've made a huge deal out of Scalise, but he was hit in the hip. Think about it...all other wounds at waist level or lower, but one guy takes 4 to 5 rounds in the chest. Makes you wonder who the real target was.

Believe me, that's exactly...precisely....what I am wondering.

originally posted by: burntheships
The FBI stops short of calling it a hit list.

If it was a hit list, Jeff Duncan's name was on it.

But he is also allegedly the person stopped by the shooter and asked if it was Republicans or Democrats on the field.

Did the shooter not recognize him? If so, he made no effort to kill him.

Just stuff to note.

Great post!

What I would like to see if some untainted autopsy reports.
It has long been a dirty trick of the trade to have a doctor on the payroll to fake reports.

Were the bullets pulled out of this man's chest fired from that gun? We have the technology to test this, but I fear that the people involved in the investigation are too prone to falsifying evidence.

Imagine being a broke 25 year old kid working with the doctor to do the autopsy. Someone in a dark alley hands you a wad of cash and a bag of bullets, with instruction to swap them out with the real ones.
You say anything, you get black bagged. You refuse, you find yourself targeted and wind up on the streets. You comply, you get 48 hours to enjoy your retirement fund before you wind up committing suicide or get whacked because you suddenly have a ten year history of gambling beyond your means...

Too many people are too easily controlled for any sort of serious investigation to take place.

If what I'm seeing above is true, my take is that a spook came out of the shadows and shot this guy with a silenced pistol while the ruckus was happening, and the evidence was covered up.

I guess the real question is why, but the information hitting the public is so far removed from reality that we just can't know. The resources it takes to pull off a false flag like this just for that guy... And cover it all up?

That smells of cia shenanigans.

a reply to: MotherMayEye
Hmm they quickly started rewriting facts to suit the narrative that Scalise was the target:

Scalise underwent surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center for the gunshot wound and was in critical condition on Wednesday afternoon, according to the medical center. That information contradicted earlier reports that characterized Scalise's condition as stable.

Is it even possible that the shooter was a distraction, and the police officers shot Mika?

a reply to: MotherMayEye

Whoa!! A Jack Reacher plot!

You never cease to amaze, MME. This is definitely worth looking at. The list of names could be just a way of throwing everybody off, and the other victims are just a cover-up.

Was there more than one shooter, do you think?

Other than saying we are in the same fraternity and he holds a masters degree in criminal justice is about the only interesting things I'll allude to at this time.



Buck

What keeps bothering me is the amount of time this guy spent in Spooky Alexandria prior to the shootings. Looking at his FB stuff would suggest a very susceptible and pliable personality if one wanted to create a shooter and/or patsy. I'd like to know much more about his time and contacts while there.

You are a razor-sharp mind always worth pondering MME. Thanks for your many excellent contributions.

a reply to: lordcomac

I have pondered a lot of the same questions.

I've read through most of the eyewitness statements from Congressmen that were on record. Mike Conaway's weren't the only ones I raised my eyebrow at. There are some discrepancies with regard to other people who made it outside the fence and behind the first base dugout. Specifically, Jack Bergman, and Joe Barton. Keep in mind, there is also the story of Joe Barton's 10-year old son who was behind the first base dugout and "under a Suburban." I can only assume this 10 year old was under the SUV where Mika was shot. If he was underneath, he would have probably seen Mika drop to the ground, but not shot.

OR Mika was shot before he ever got under it. In fact, his dad said he tried to get inside it first to get shelter but it was LOCKED.

Anyway, their accounts don't mesh without giving license to a few creative errors on the part of Politico.

All things considered though...no one who made it behind the first base dugout claims to have seen Matt Mika get shot and it sounds like Mike Conaway would have reached the area quickly...about the time when Scalise was shot or shortly after. But Matt Mika was shot 4 to 5 times. How did he not see it happen as he rounded the open gate?

Did the Capitol police officers see him shot???

They were situated there with a SUV (or two). I doubt they were in it when Mika was shot, because Jack Barton tried to get in what I can only assume was their vehicle, parked there, and couldn't because it was locked...so he got underneath.

Again, Mike Conaway says MattMika was lying injured between the two Capitol Police officers when he was behind the dugout.

I am just wondering what the heck was up with the Capitol police officers while Mika was shot. They must have been *cough*, right there.

originally posted by: Ridhya
a reply to: MotherMayEye
Hmm they quickly started rewriting facts to suit the narrative that Scalise was the target:

Scalise underwent surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center for the gunshot wound and was in critical condition on Wednesday afternoon, according to the medical center. That information contradicted earlier reports that characterized Scalise's condition as stable.

They sure did.

a reply to: queenofswords

I wonder if there was more than one shooter. And I wonder if Mika was shot with a pistol, not a rifle even though he was down BEFORE the shooter allegedly ran out of rifle ammo and switched to a pistol.

And I wonder if his family knows the story from him.

Again, they put out a few statements making it clear, right away, that he was communicating by notes. That same day even.

"No gifts nor visitors," they said, too.

The next day, Matt Mika signed a baseball for the game:



I'd like to know if anyone from Congress sent that ball over to the hospital to be signed...perhaps to see how well Matt was able to write notes and how conscious and aware he was.

a reply to: The GUT

I thought the same thing. I feel like I can't poke holes in the life of James Hodgkinson...if he is all that he seems to be though...he's still a perfect patsy.

originally posted by: MotherMayEye
If it was a hit list, Jeff Duncan's name was on it.

But he is also allegedly the person stopped by the shooter and asked if it was Republicans or Democrats on the field.

Interesting point, Duncan is a member of the
House Freedom Caucus, as were all members on
the list.

Gunman sat around at the YMCA across the street from
the ball field for months...yet FBI says shooting was unplanned?

A little background on Tyson:

www.washingtonpost.com...

www.nytimes.com...

thinkprogress.org...

Buck

originally posted by: flatbush71
A little background on Tyson:

www.washingtonpost.com...

www.nytimes.com...

thinkprogress.org...

Buck

and..

A Regulations Clash

A Drug Running investigation

A Human Trafficking Indictment

Price Fixing

The Clinton Scandal That Still Matters

And there are others I came across...