Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin released the official 13-page preliminary findings of his investigation into the assassination attempt. Former President Trump.
Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, when the suspected gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire, killing one spectator and wounding several others, including Trump, who suffered an ear injury.
Immediately after the shooting, Sen. Johnson’s office began contacting federal, state and local government agencies and private companies to gather information about security lapses at the rally, his office said in a statement. The preliminary findings are based on initial information Johnson’s office received after the shooting.
The senator’s office said it was sharing the information with the public in the interest of transparency.
Trump shooting: Timeline of assassination attempt raises questions about how gunman escaped security
Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump is hurriedly escorted off the stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
A preliminary investigation found that the Secret Service was not present at a security briefing for local SWAT and sniper teams on the morning of July 13; local police stated that their communications were siloed and that they did not frequently have direct radio contact with the Secret Service; local police had notified command about Crooks prior to the shooting and had received confirmation that the Secret Service was aware of the notification; and Secret Service agents were seen with local police on the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building after the shooting.
The investigation also found that a photo of the shooter was sent to the ATF for facial recognition and that local police said the Secret Service had not initially planned to send a sniper to the rally.
Johnson’s office also released a timeline of events from July 13.
9:00 a.m. — Butler County Emergency Services held a briefing for local SWAT and sniper units from Butler, Beaver and Washington counties responsible for security at Trump’s rally. The briefing outlined the event’s security coverage and each local unit’s area of responsibility, as well as staging areas, including the locations of each local unit and Secret Service snipers.
The briefing was not attended by the Secret Service or other federal law enforcement agencies, and the Secret Service had not initially planned to send in sniper units but then changed its plans for unclear reasons, according to people who attended the briefing. It is unclear why the Secret Service was not present at the briefing.
9:27 a.m. — Crooks entered a Home Depot in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Video footage from inside the store shows Crooks entering alone.
9:41 a.m. — Crooks purchases a 5.5-foot aluminum dual platform ladder.
9:42 a.m. — Crooks emerges from the Home Depot. Video footage from the parking lot reportedly shows Crooks leaving in a vehicle, although the video does not identify the make or model of the vehicle.
10:30am — Two local police snipers are positioned on the second floor of the AGR building.
5:10pm — Crooks was first spotted by a sniper (AGR Sniper 1) at the AGR building.
5:14pm — AGR Sniper 1 takes a photo of Crooks.
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On July 13, 2024, a sniper took a photo of the alleged shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Senator Ron Johnson’s Office)
5:28pm — AGR Sniper 1 photographs what appears to be a bicycle and two bags near the AGR building, although it is unclear what happened to the bicycle and bags since the day of the shooting.
5:32pm — AGR Sniper 1 observed Crooks using his rangefinder while looking at his cell phone.
5:38pm — AGR Sniper 1 sends a message to “Sniper Group” about Crooks.
5:40pm — AGR Sniper 1 is instructed to “report to command” about Crooks.
5:41pm – AGR Sniper 1 calls Commander and describes Crooks and the rangefinder. Crooks responds: [the] “AGR Building”
5:49 p.m. — Crooks’ photo was sent to Butler County Emergency Services Command.
5:55pm — Butler County Emergency Services confirms receipt of the photos.
5:59pm — Butler County Emergency Services asks what direction Crooks is traveling. AGR Sniper 1 initially does not know which direction Crooks is traveling.
6:05pm – AGR Sniper 1 later reported that Crooks was carrying a backpack and moving northeast in the “direction of the sheets.”
On July 13, 2024, a shooter captured what appeared to be a bicycle and two bags near the American Glass Research building in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Senator Ron Johnson’s Office)
6:06pm to 6:12pm — AGR Sniper 1 moves to the first floor of the building and meets up with a local police patrol to alert them to Crooks’ presence.
Approximately 6:11 p.m. — Crooks begins firing, and Secret Service agents return fire, killing Crooks.
6:23 p.m. — Beaver County SWAT officers go onto the roof where Crooks was stationed and confirm he is dead. Local police from another county and at least one Secret Service agent also go onto the roof.
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6:46 p.m. — Police searched Crooks and found a transmitter, cell phone and rangefinder in his pockets.
7:45pm-7:46pm — At the request of the Allegheny Bomb Squad, local police sent photos of Crooks and his belongings to ATF agents, who are reportedly using Crooks’ photos for facial recognition.
