Before former President Donald Trump took the stage at a rally in Pennsylvania, a local officer spotted a suspicious man with a range-finder, raising concerns about his intentions. Just minutes into Trump’s speech, that man, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire, wounding Trump and killing a father of two. Eyewitnesses reported seeing him armed on a roof prior to the attack. Despite the chaos, Secret Service snipers quickly neutralized the threat, but investigators are still trying to uncover Crooks’ motives and how he managed to carry out such a dangerous plan.
Before former President Donald Trump hit the stage at his rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania on Saturday night, a suspicious man carrying a rangefinder was seen by a local law enforcement officer “in or just outside” the stadium, according to a law enforcement source.
According to the source, the officer informed state police about the sighting. After he snapped a picture, many debated whether or not he was carrying binoculars to attempt and get a better view of the protest reports Fox News.
Authorities say that a potential assassin named Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire a short while into Trump’s speech.
Before a Secret Service countersniper neutralized the threat, he wounded the former president, killed a 50-year-old father of two, and injured two more bystanders, according to the authorities.
Although the duration of Crooks’ stay on the roof was not immediately known, reports said he was first spotted about 30 minutes before the attack without the pistol.
A request for comment on the source’s account of events was not immediately answered by state police.
In social media videos and interviews, several witnesses have also come forward to say they saw an armed man before the shooting started.
“Just because someone is on a roof doesn’t mean the [counter-sniper] guys can just open fire,” said Bill Gage, an expert on active shooter response. Gage retired from the Secret Service after 13 years, including 6 ½ as a member of the counter assault team. “They operate under Graham v Connor use of force rules. They would have had to perceive a threat.”
Eventually, Crooks managed to climb onto the roof with a DPMS AR-15 5.56 rifle, which the police found nearby. Law enforcement sources claim that his father had lawfully purchased it over ten years prior.
In discussions with the media, Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe stated that just before the shooting, a county deputy approached Crooks, but when he looked over the edge of the roof and the murderer turned the gun on him, the officer fled for safety.
“The officer had both hands up on the roof to get up onto the roof, [and] never made it because the shooter had turned towards the officer, and rightfully and smartfully, the officer let go,” he stated to KDKA-TV.
Outside of the Secret Service’s guarded area, state and local law enforcement usually handles security.
The FBI declared earlier on Monday that it had gained access to Crooks’ phone and was looking through it for proof.
And the authorities were still looking for a reason. They noted that although it seemed like Crooks had acted alone, the inquiry was continuing.
As of Monday afternoon, about one hundred individuals had been interviewed, including witnesses and law enforcement personnel.
Explore exclusive GGI coverage of Donald Trump’s assassination attempt.
