Thomas Crooks was walking near the exhibition complex during the opening of Donald Trump's rally, and also came to the attention of law enforcement as a suspect an hour before the shooting of the former president. Writes UNN with reference to the BBC and CBS.
Details
Donald Trump's failed assassin, Thomas Crooks, was flagged by security officials as a suspicious person an hour before the shooting - but then lost in the crowd. It is now known that Thomas Crooks was wandering around a warehouse outside the Butler Farm Show when the crowd was just gathering for one of former President Donald Trump's most important outdoor rallies.
The media provide an account of the attempted assassination of the US president based on interviews with more than two dozen people, including law enforcement officials, Crooks' classmates, and witnesses who attended the rally, as well as public documents and news reports.
“He was marked as a suspicious person because he had a rangefinder and a backpack. And it was more than an hour before the shooting happened. It would be logical to assume that during that hour, they should not have lost sight of him,” Senator John Barrasso told Fox News after the briefing.
A participant in the assassination attempt investigation told CBS on condition of anonymity that a sniper from local law enforcement, who was helping the Secret Service protect Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, spotted Crooks looking through a rangefinder and immediately radioed the command post.
According to other reports, Crooks was spotted on the roof from where he was shooting 20 minutes before he opened fire.
For reference
Crooks fired his gun at about 6:10 p.m., a Reuters photographer at the rally reported. Trump flinched and touched his right ear. Secret Service agents grabbed the former president, and some supporters took cover. The bullet hit the hydraulic line of the forklift holding the speakers on the right side of the stage. The liquid splashed onto the crowd, and the arm of the forklift fell off. Screams were heard from the left side as a spectator was fatally wounded.
Crooks was killed by Secret Service snipers 26 seconds after he shot Trump.
The Republican senators said they were shocked that the Secret Service, having identified an extremely suspicious person in the crowd, did not prevent Trump from going up to the podium.
Байден розповів, що може змусити його вийти з президентських перегонів17.07.24, 12:39
Also, Trump's fellow senators are extremely dissatisfied with the amount of information they are receiving about the assassination investigation. There are demands for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheadle.
Recall
After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, the public has not been provided with details about his injuries and treatment. Trump's campaign refuses to discuss his health and release his medical records.
Director of the Secret Service Kimberly Cheadle has taken responsibility for the assassination attempt on former President Trump, but refused to resigndespite calls from the House Majority Leader.