The FBI told reporters on Monday morning that attempted Trump assassin Thomas Crooks climbed up air conditioning units and ducts to gain access to the roof of a building near former President Trump’s rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Crooks then sprinted across several roofs and found a shooting position on the roof of a building owned by American Glass Research (AGR) near the Butler Farm Show, about 150 yards from where the former president spoke at the rally.
The FBI held a conference call with reporters more than two weeks after 20-year-old Crooks opened fire with an AR-15 in an attempt to assassinate President Trump at a rally, cutting the president’s ear, killing one person and hospitalizing two others with gunshot wounds.
Investigators determined that Crooks purchased a ladder just hours before the assassination attempt, but he left it at his Bethel Park home and did not use it at the subsequent rally.
Trump shooting: Timeline of assassination attempt raises questions about how gunman escaped security
Buildings are seen adjacent to the Butler Farm Show, the site of a campaign rally for former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, in Butler, Pennsylvania, Monday, July 15, 2024. Thomas Crooks fired shots from the roof of the complex in an assassination attempt on July 13, wounding Trump. (AP Photo/Jean J. Puskar)
It remains unclear how Crooks managed to evade security despite being spotted by police more than an hour before shots rang out, but the FBI said more than 300 agents and agents were working “around the clock” to gather facts and put together a clearer timeline of Crooks’ actions.
Investigators found eight bullets on the roof where Crooks opened fire, they said in a phone interview.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified at a congressional hearing on July 17 that Crooks was at the rally for about 70 minutes on the morning of the assassination attempt, and that Crooks had flown the drone about 200 yards from where the former president was scheduled to speak, Wray said.
Undated photograph of Thomas Matthew Crookes. (Courtesy of AFP)
Police first reported seeing a suspicious person near the rally at approximately 5:10 pm on July 13, one hour and one minute before Crooks began shooting. Local police notified headquarters about the suspicious person and received confirmation that the Secret Service was aware of his presence.
Donald Trump defends female Secret Service agent who “saved” him from assassination attempt
Over the next hour, police identified buildings of interest and snipers took photos of Crooks and his bicycle left near the rally site. Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, who was briefed on the assassination attempt, previously told Fox News Digital that a sniper had “seen” a suspicious individual about 20 minutes before Crooks began firing.
FBI agents search the neighborhood of Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on Monday, July 15, 2024. Crooks was killed July 13 after attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Trump took the podium at approximately 6 p.m., an hour after he was scheduled to speak. Eleven minutes later, Crooks fired multiple shots, killing Corey Comperatore, 50, and critically wounding David Duch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74. Duch was hospitalized and has since been released, but Copenhaver remains hospitalized.
Click here to get the FOX News app
FBI officials are still working to determine Crooks’ motive behind the assassination attempt that has rocked Butler and nearby towns, and whether he planned it with co-conspirators, but the bureau said Monday there are no indications anyone else was involved.
Trump is expected to return to Butler for another rally at some point, but has not given details about when that might happen.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
