Shocking new footage shows local police and Secret Service agents standing near the body of Donald Trump assassination plotter Thomas Matthew Crooks, appearing to confirm that the 20-year shooter had been identified as a suspicious person before he opened fire.
Body camera video released by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley Showing Crooks’ corpse Blood stains remain on the roof at the scene of the attack that injured Trump and killed a heroic firefighter at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month.
A man believed to be a Secret Service agent told officers with Beaver County Emergency Services that Crooks’ body appeared to be that of a previously reported suspicious person.
“So this is the guy,” the agent says.
“This is him,” an officer with the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit responded.
Emergency services officials also said footage showed a police sniper taking photos of Crooks, including while he was riding a bicycle.
“The shooter is the one who sent the original photo, he got off his motorcycle, put his briefcase down and then we lost sight of him,” the officer told the person believed to be a Secret Service agent.
The two officers then scroll through photos of suspicious subjects on their iPhones.
What we know about the attempted assassination of President Trump
- 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks has been identified as the shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
- Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent.
- The gunman grazed President Trump’s ear, killed a 50-year-old former fire chief and wounded two other people at the rally.
- Investigators detailed Crooks’ search history to lawmakers, revealing that he sought out dates for speeches by President Trump and the Democratic National Convention.
- FBI officials said the criminal’s search history also revealed a broad interest in famous people and celebrities, regardless of political affiliation.
- “I was supposed to be dead,” Trump told The Washington Post exclusively at the rally, describing how he survived the “surreal” assassination attempt.
- Prominent politicians, including President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed the nation about the shooting, calling it a “heinous, horrific and despicable act.”
Crooks’ shot grazed Trump’s ear and struck three rally attendees, killing Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter who was married and a father of two.
The gunman was quickly shot dead by Secret Service agents.
Law enforcement sources previously told The Post that the Secret Service had been warned about Crooks, even calling him a “threat” 10 minutes before the rally, but still allowed Trump to take to the stage.
Officials said federal agents had been alerted to “suspicious activity” on the property more than an hour before the shots rang out, but that the suspect had not reportedly been carrying a gun at the time.
Republican Senator Grassley has called on the federal law enforcement agency, the Secret Service, to release more information to the public after the agency faced intense criticism over security lapses at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally.
“Federal agencies, particularly the Secret Service, have failed to be transparent with the American people,” Grassley said in a statement.
“This assassination attempt is a matter of significant public concern and should be made public.”
Grassley released the video on the same day that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned under pressure from lawmakers.
Here is the latest on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump:
The Iowa senator also included a letter addressed to the Secret Service and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, demanding answers to outstanding questions about the July 13 “catastrophic failure.”
Grassley said in the letter that he had received information that the Secret Service had joint jurisdiction with local police over the AGR International building where Crooks was sitting.
The Secret Service had previously maintained that it was only responsible for managing the rally venue, with local police providing security for AGR.
Senator Grassley attached an unconfirmed map showing the jurisdictions of the state law enforcement agencies responsible for the rally, but the AGR Building is not included in any of the jurisdictions.
“Is this document accurate?” the congressman asked in the letter.
Senator Grassley also attached a sheet with law enforcement contact information for the event and noted that “UAS” (unmanned aerial systems, commonly known as drones) operators would be available during the event.
“Did the USSS, local, or state law enforcement deploy UAS or counter UAS in connection with the July 13, 2024 rally?” Grassley asked, referring to reports that Crooks had deployed his own drone to spy on the rally site prior to the shooting.
An officer seen in the rooftop video also mentions the drone at one point.
He also pressed the Secret Service to answer questions about whether a water tower located a short distance away from the AGR grounds – which overlooks the entire AGR campus and could have provided a clear view of Trump’s stage – played any role in the events that day.
“Was the water tower removed before the rally?” Grassley asked. “Did the water tower play a role in what happened at the Trump rally?”
