With investigators still searching for clues about what may have led Thomas Matthew Crooks to attack Donald Trump, new details that have emerged in the case show that the 20-year-old was spotted by three police snipers minutes before he opened fire at the former US president.
The 78-year-old Republican presidential candidate was injured in an assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Crooks, a resident of nearby Bethel Park, had climbed on a rooftop with a rifle in hand to attack Trump. He, however, was killed by a US Secret Service sniper minutes after he opened fire, which killed a bystander and injured two spectators.
The Secret Service, which is tasked with protecting US political leaders, has since then faced backlash over how a gunman aiming an assault rifle was allowed to take position on a roof some 500 feet from Trump, who is pitted against US President Joe Biden in the November 5 elections.
Mobile footage has emerged of people sighting the gunman on the roof and trying to warn security before he opened fire.
According to CBS News, there were three snipers stationed inside the building the shooter used during Saturday’s shooting. The operations plan had them stationed inside the building looking out windows toward the Trump rally.
One of the snipers inside saw Crooks outside and looking up at the roof, observing the building and disappearing, a local law enforcement officer told CBS News. The 20-year-old then came back, sat down, and looked at his phone. At that point, one of the snipers took a picture of him.
Crooks took out a rangefinder and the Secret Service sniper radioed to the command post, CBS News reported. He then disappeared again and came back a third time with a backpack.
The Secret Service snipers called in with information that he had a backpack and said he was walking toward the back of the building. Officers believe that the shooter might have used an air conditioning unit to get on top of the roof.
By the time other officers came for backup, he had climbed on top of the building and was positioned above and behind the snipers inside the building, CBS News reported citing an officer.
Two other officers who heard the sniper’s call tried to get onto the roof. State police started rushing to the scene, but by that time, a Secret Service sniper had already killed Crooks, the officer said.
