Law enforcement officials shared notes about Thomas Matthew Crooks’ suspicious behavior more than 90 minutes before the would-be assassin took aim at former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania this month.
Secret Service countersnipers texted each other about Crooks lingering near the Butler County warehouse where the gunman eventually opened fire on Mr. Trump during his July 13 rally, according to messages obtained by The New York Times.
One sniper, who finished his shift just under two hours before Mr. Trump took the stage, saw the 20-year-old sitting at a picnic table as he left the building. He texted the other two snipers inside the warehouse that Crooks saw him with his gun and probably determined more agents were nearby.
Authorities lost track of Crooks until he was spotted again around 5:40 p.m., roughly 35 minutes before shots rang out.
This time, one of the counter snipers shared photos of Crooks, and law enforcement was on high alert.
“Kid learning [sic] around building we are in. AGR I believe it is,” the agent said. “I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.”
Two minutes later, another agent responded, “Call it in to command and have a uniform check it out.”
Two Butler Township police officers were sent to find Crooks, which they did when one officer hoisted the other officer up over the edge of the warehouse roof. Crooks noticed the officer and pointed his AR-15-style rifle at him, who fell to the ground to take cover.
The gunman fired eight rounds moments later, killing one rallygoer, wounding two others and grazing Mr. Trump’s right ear.
Secret Service snipers killed Crooks within seconds after he opened fire.
The Times also reported that Crooks used a drone to surveil the rally site a day before the Trump campaign event. The Secret Service did not have a drone in use for the rally.
Little is known about why Crooks tried to assassinate the former president.
Investigators said they found photos of several high-profile figures on his phone, including President Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and Mr. Trump.
The would-be assassin registered for the Butler rally on July 7, though he looked up speaking dates for Mr. Biden and for the Democratic National Convention.
He also researched Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley and how far away Lee Harvey Oswald was when he assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Crooks aimed at Mr. Trump from about 150 yards.
The gunman went to a shooting range the day before he made the attempt on Mr. Trump’s life. Authorities found an armored tactical vest, four magazines of ammunition and two makeshift explosive devices in Crooks’ car.
Multiple security lapses at the rally — such as law enforcement identifying Crooks as a suspicious person, yet still letting him climb onto a roof overlooking the main stage — led to a bipartisan push for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to step down. She resigned last week, less than 10 days after the rally shooting.
Former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was slain by the gunfire while shielding his family at the Trump rally.
Two other men — 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver — were severely wounded, but have since started to recover.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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