The shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally flew a drone over the event site hours before the attack, law enforcement officials said.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, used a camera drone to scout out the Butler Farm Show grounds on July 13, capturing aerial footage of the area, the WSJ reported.
The camera drone gave Crooks an overhead view, possibly aiding his plan. The assassination attempt was made on Saturday, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks opened fire on the former president, but the bullet only grazed his ear. The Secret Service responded swiftly, taking Crooks out within 26 seconds “with one shot“.
The Secret Service typically prohibits drones over areas they are securing, but it is unclear if this was the case at the Butler rally. Investigators discovered the drone’s flight, possibly through electronic traces of its flight path or records from DJI, the drone’s manufacturer. A drone and related equipment were found in Crooks’ vehicle, reported the NBC.
Thomas Crooks was also found to have a remote control transmitter, a detonator, and an improvised metal explosive device in his car trunk, connected to a receiver, which suggests that he may have planned to remotely detonate an explosion, possibly as a diversion or distraction.
In the 48 hours leading up to the attack, Crooks made several suspicious stops. He visited a shooting range the day before the assassination attempt. He also stopped at a Home Depot and a gun store, where he purchased 50 rounds of ammunition and a 5-foot ladder – which investigators believe he used to climb the building from where he shot at Trump.
The motive behind the attempt to kill Donald Trump remains unknown and is currently under investigation.
