An FBI official revealed that police observed the Pennsylvania man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump over an hour before the July 13 shooting and took a photo to share with other law enforcement officers.
The gunman, identified as Thomas Crooks, was deemed suspicious by local law enforcement. A police officer photographed him and shared the image with other officers at the scene of Trump’s Pennsylvania rally. Around 30 minutes later, SWAT team members noticed Crooks using a rangefinder and browsing news websites.
Crooks was seen carrying a backpack about 20 minutes before the shooting and was later captured on a police dashboard camera walking on the roof from where he fired the shots.
While the FBI is not responsible for investigating security lapses, they are compiling a timeline of events.
The FBI has yet to determine Crooks’ motive but discovered he had searched online for information on previous mass shootings, improvised explosive devices, and the attempted assassination of the Slovakian prime minister.
Crooks, who was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent, had no close friends or acquaintances and his social circle was limited to his immediate family. He made 25 firearm-related purchases and acquired chemicals used for explosives using encrypted applications. His parents, who were cooperative with the investigation, were unaware of his interest in science and experiments.
