An image of Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old assassination suspect, has emerged just moments before he attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. The photograph was captured through the lens of a Secret Service sniper rifle scope at approximately 5:30 p.m., local time.
In the photo, Crooks is seen crawling on the ground as he searches for an ideal vantage point to gain an optimal view of Trump shortly before he took the stage. The image, which was exclusively obtained by the New York Post, displays Crooks wearing glasses and looking towards his left, almost behind him, in the direction of the photographer, with both hands on the ground.
The photograph was sent to law enforcement personnel, raising suspicion about unusual activity at the event venue. Despite an attempt made by a police officer to locate Crooks at the spot where the photo was taken, he could not be found.
Around 6:11 p.m., Crooks began firing his AR-15-style weapon from a distance of about 400 feet away from where Trump was located on stage. He narrowly grazed Trump’s left ear before falling to the ground and being immediately shielded by Secret Service agents.
Following the shooting, postmortem photographs revealed Crooks’ lifeless body, which was discovered near a cell phone and a remote detonator. Investigators believe that these items were intended for activating explosives in his vehicle, possibly as a means of causing an explosion to distract authorities from his location.
While being photographed, Crooks was observed using a rangefinder while simultaneously checking his phone. This raises questions regarding why officers did not promptly respond at this time, as hunters and target shooters commonly utilize this device to determine the distance and trajectory for long-range shots.
Investigators have proposed a working theory suggesting that the suspect initially headed towards his vehicle to retrieve the rifle he had stolen from his father. Just moments before the first shot was fired, a local officer spotted the suspect on the roof and attempted to apprehend him; however, the officer retreated after Crooks pointed his firearm at them.
Contrary to initial reports that the officer climbed a ladder to engage with the suspect, follow-up statements clarified that he did not possess a ladder and was assisted onto the roof by another officer. When Crooks turned around to point his weapon at the officer, he could not engage with his own firearm due to his precarious position hanging onto the roof.
A number of law enforcement officials and lawmakers briefed on the matter informed members of Congress that authorities examining the assassination attempt disclosed a 20-minute delay between when U.S. Secret Service snipers first identified Crooks on the rooftop and when shots were fired at the former president.
This timeline was revealed after sources informed ABC News that Crooks had researched pictures of Trump and President Joe Biden on his phone, as well as the dates for Trump rally in Butler and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The chronology provided during the briefing, according to 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 when the gunman was killed, it was 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,” ABC News reported.
Briefers told lawmakers that Crooks purchased an ammunition box at a Walmart on July 5, two days after the rally was announced. On July 13, he went to the rally site in the morning, was there for an hour, and then left. He came back sometime in the early 5 p.m. hour and tried to enter the security perimeter,” the outlet added.
ABC continued: “New analysis by ABC News’ visual verification team reveals that 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 a building in the direction of the shooter’s location turned from the south to the north.
