The claim
One week after he killed Renee Nicole Good, two “US officials” (who claimed they were briefed on his condition) say that the shooter, Jonathan Ross, suffered “internal bleeding to the torso.” I cannot know for a fact that the whole thing is a lie — I’m not privy to Ross’s medical records. However, I will say that, given the circumstances and this administration's record, it is far more likely a complete bald-faced lie than the truth.
Let’s examine the evidence.
The video
Video of the incident shows no head-on collision. At best, Ross was lightly brushed by the corner of the car whose wheels were clearly turned to avoid him. It shows that Ross was neither knocked down nor even pushed backward.
After the shooting, Ross holsters his gun. He is walking erect and without difficulty toward the car. Then he is shown walking quickly and effortlessly away from Good’s crashed car while looking at his phone. And then, still striding with purpose, he gesticulates with no hesitation or evident pain. He is neither asking for help, nor is anyone rushing to his aid. The other agents aren’t even approaching him to ask if he is OK.
In fairness, I will play Devil’s advocate and say that an injured man in a state of shock with the adrenaline flowing may act as if he is not injured. Also, perhaps an internal injury may not present symptoms. (Update: Since I posted this, a DKer, Sue Blue, who is an RN, explained with medical specificity why Ross’ behavior after the event is inconsistent with internal bleeding — see her comment below. Thank you, Sue.)
But that doesn’t explain the following.
Why the delay?
Why did it take a week to make the announcement? Kristi Noem and her boss, Trump, are not shy of the media. Nor did they count to ten, or wait for clarity, before explaining their self-justifying version of events.
Within hours, the two of them had said that Good was a professional and trained activist. That her partner was an angry anti-government agitator. That she had deliberately accelerated to ram Ross. And that he had been so severely injured, he was lucky to be alive.
Ross apologists will say that the last statement ‘proves’ that Ross’s injury is real. Codswallop. If it were, the details would have come out a lot sooner. The administration would have pounded the internal injury angle to death. Trump would have posted that info. He didn’t.
Why aren’t the doctors speaking?
Why aren’t the doctors who presumably treated Ross speaking? Medical privacy shouldn’t be an issue. A patient can waive that right and authorize his doctors to speak. He can even release the records himself. Either of which will help answer the question: if Ross suffered a concerning injury, why was he released hours after admission?
Assuming people act in their own self-interest, especially when no one else is harmed by their actions, why hasn’t Ross authorized his doctors to speak on his behalf? An internal injury would assist his defense against any potential criminal or civil legal jeopardy. It would also raise his current dismal favorability. And it would be all the conservative media/podcast world would need to further spin the narrative in his favor.
Doctors, unlike the administration’s officials, are held to ethical standards. Their testimony would give the injury claim much more weight. Their absence from the discussion has the opposite effect.
Conclusion
I suspect this is a standard anonymous trial balloon released to check the reaction. If we hear no more of it, we can say for sure it’s bullshit. If Trump or Neom posts the claim, then all we can deduce is that the base is buying it.
Without a disinterested but knowledgeable third party offering testimony, the claim that Ross suffered “internal bleeding to the torso” can be relegated to the: ‘Unproven, but highly unlikely column.’
