On Wednesday, law enforcement officials and lawmakers revealed that there was a 20-minute lag between when U.S. Secret Service snipers first spotted the gunman on a rooftop during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and when shots were fired at him. The event took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, with Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, identified as the suspect. At 5:52 p.m. ET, snipers had seen Crooks on the roof of a building outside the security zone of the gathering. At 6:12 p.m. ET, the shooting took place.
The Secret Service’s response to the attempted assassination has been scrutinized in recent days, with director Kimberly Cheatle being summoned to testify before Congress. In response, a Department of Homeland Security representative said she “welcomes the opportunity to testify.” The timeline of events was made public after sources informed ABC News that Crooks had looked up pictures of former President Trump and current President Joe Biden on his phone. He also researched the dates of the Trump rally in Butler and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The FBI director, deputy director, and Secret Service head all stated that 62 minutes before the shooting, lawmakers briefed law enforcement officials on Crooks’ status as a person of interest. The timeline presented by ABC News is as follows.
5:10 p.m.: Crooks was first identified as a person of interest.
5:30 p.m.: Crooks was spotted with a rangefinder.
5:52 p.m.: The Secret Service spotted Crooks on the roof.
6:02 p.m.: Trump takes the stage.
6:12 p.m.: Crooks fires first shots.
From the time Crooks fired his first shot to the gunman being killed, it took just 26 seconds, according to law enforcement officials. Eleven seconds after the first shot, Secret Service countersnipers acquired their target—and 15 seconds after that, Crooks was shot dead.
The FBI director, deputy director, and the head of the Secret Service all stated that 62 minutes before the shooting, lawmakers briefed law enforcement officials on Crooks’ status as a person of interest. The timeline given in the briefing was as follows.
5:10 p.m.: Crooks was first identified as a person of interest.
5:30 p.m.: Crooks was spotted with a rangefinder.
5:52 p.m.: The Secret Service spotted Crooks on the roof.
6:02 p.m.: Trump takes the stage.
6:12 p.m.: Crooks fires first shots.
From the time Crooks fired his first shot to the gunman being killed, it took just 26 seconds, according to law enforcement officials. Eleven seconds after the first shot, Secret Service countersnipers acquired their target—and 15 seconds after that, Crooks was shot dead.
According to ABC News’ visual verification team, one of two sniper teams posted atop buildings to the north and south behind the rally stage repositioned before the first gunshots were fired. At 6:09 p.m., three minutes before the first gunshots rang out, the sniper team on the roof of the building south of the stage, the furthest away from the shooter’s location, repositioned, turning from the south to the north in the direction of the shooter’s location.
Sources stated that the purpose of the attempted assassination is still unknown and that they have not found any ideological connection to either Biden or Trump. Law enforcement officials informed members that they believe neither of the shooter’s parents has significant political leanings, based on discussions with them.
As part of the investigation, 200 interviews were conducted by the FBI, as informed to legislators. By climbing an air conditioner that was reachable from the ground and dragging himself up to the top of a building beyond the security cordon, Crooks was able to obtain a clear shot at the former president.
According to accounts, he was able to approach the top of the nearby American Glass Research (AGR) building from there. According to Trump, he was shot in the right ear.
Officials stated that three rallygoers were shot during the event, one of whom was 50-year-old volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died while protecting his family from the gunshots. The condition of the other two rally participants was described as stable.
