Death of a President

President George W. Bush is fatally shot after addressing an economic forum at the Chicago Sheraton. The anti-war rally held earlier adds to the tense atmosphere. News crews immediately begin live coverage of the shooting and its political fallout.

News outlets report the assassination and debate its implications for U.S. policy and leadership. The incident triggers a flood of analysis about security, terrorism, and the administration's future direction. The TV documentary format emphasizes the rapid news cycle surrounding the event.

Authorities arrest and interrogate war-protesting detainees as the case unfolds. Jamal Abu Zikri, described as an IT professional of Syrian origin, becomes the prime suspect tied to the shooting. Investigators scrutinize potential links to anti-war movements and foreign threats.

Vice President Dick Cheney assumes the presidency and links the suspected killer to possible al-Qaeda ties to bolster a domestic security agenda. He advocates expanding investigative powers for federal and local agencies as part of a broader crackdown. The push sets the stage for PATRIOT Act III.

Zikri is convicted of killing the U.S. President and sentenced to death based on forensic evidence described as dubious. The verdict occurs amid intense courtroom emotion as the defendant's family witnesses the proceedings. The ruling solidifies Zikri’s role in the public narrative surrounding the assassination.

A fresh investigation surfaces indicating that the perpetrator was most likely Al Claybon, husband of Marianne Claybon and father of David Claybon. The report ties his identity to a Rock Island, Illinois connection and notes his Gulf War veteran background. It reframes early assumptions about the shooter’s motives and background.

The person identified as the killer, Al Claybon, dies by suicide in the aftermath of Bush's assassination. His death closes a personal chapter that is later reexamined by new investigative reports. Casey Claybon’s discoveries begin to surface in this period.

In his dead father’s Rock Island house, Casey Claybon uncovers evidence suggesting his father’s involvement in planning the shooting. The finding includes references to a top-secret presidential itinerary outlining Bush’s Chicago movements on 19 October 2007. The discovery fuels further questions about the true perpetrator.

A copy of a minute-by-minute presidential itinerary appears as the most incriminating piece of evidence. It documents Bush’s exact Chicago whereabouts on the day of the assassination, linking the crime to the case under investigation. Authorities continue probing how this highly sensitive document ended up in the suspect's circle.

Even ten months after the assassination, government officials delay Zikri’s legal appeal to keep him on death row. The long wait underscores the film’s themes of political manipulation and the opaque nature of evidence. The government’s investigative effort expands as new theories emerge.

The closing sections of the film note ongoing investigations into how the top-secret itinerary found its way into a private residence. Officials pursue leads about who had access to sensitive information and how it reached Casey and his family. The pursuit highlights concerns about leaks and the abuse of security powers.

The film ends by stating that PATRIOT Act III was signed into permanent law in the United States. It asserts that investigators gained unprecedented detention and surveillance powers, and that executive authority was expanded. The closing credits frame the act as a lasting and controversial outcome of the events depicted.