“Clearly, whoever did this scouted the location out,” Sweetow added. “They were either familiar with it because they have experience on the campus or they knew Kirk’s travel schedule and were able to scout it out in advance.”
Jim Cavanaugh, a retired ATF agent, said the impact the bullet made to Kirk’s neck indicates it was a large caliber round.
“This is something that gets used to kill a deer or an elk,” said Cavanaugh, who is an MSNBC analyst.
But he agreed that the shooter likely did not have extensive training.
“You’ve got a scope, a good rifle, you don’t have to have any great talent,” Cavanaugh said. “The equipment gives you the advantage.”
David Viola, a Navy officer who has deployed overseas multiple times with various SEAL teams, said a successful shot from that distance suggests that the gunman had at least some experience with firearms.
“It wasn’t a particularly long shot,” Viola, an adjunct professor at John Jay College’s Center on Terrorism, said. “But he didn’t pick up a rifle for the first time yesterday.”