Donald Trump’s attack gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was spotted outside the rally on Saturday by local law enforcement officials who thought he might be acting suspiciously near the metal detectors, a police official said.
Authorities announced over the radio that they would keep an eye on him, and that information was also passed to the Secret Service, the source said.
Later, people alerted law enforcement in a field outside the event that they saw a gunman on the roof.
The gunman who authorities say carried out the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was a 20-year-old registered Republican who had previously made a small contribution to a Democratic-aligned group, according to public records.
Thomas Matthew Crooks lived in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, about 35 miles south of the Trump rally.
He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a local media report and a video of the school’s graduation.
Crooks was registered to vote as a Republican, according to a listing in the Pennsylvania voter database that matched his name, age and address. This year’s presidential election would have been the first in which he would have been old enough to vote.
Federal Election Commission records show that a donor listed as Thomas Crooks, with the same address, gave $15 to a Democratic-aligned political action committee called the Progressive Turnout Project in January 2021.
The attacker, Crooks, was about 150 meters away from Trump, according to an analysis by the CNN .
What happened
Former President Donald Trump was the victim of an assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania, United States, this Saturday (13). After gunshots were heard at the scene, he was removed from the stage bleeding, with a wound to his face.
According to his spokesman, Steven Cheung, the Republican is fine. Trump also thanked supporters for their messages and asked them to unite.
Video – Watch the moment Trump is removed from rally
The shooter, Thomas Crooks, was killed by the Secret Service shortly after the attempt.
According to Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, the attacker had no identification on his body, so agents had to “analyze his DNA and obtain biometric confirmation.”
Authorities also reported that at least one audience member died and two other attendees were seriously injured during the shooting.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
