Sources claim that the man whom authorities believe attempted to kill former President Donald Trump managed to get to the rally’s roof by scaling over an air conditioning unit next to the structure.
Despite reports from law enforcement sources that Thomas Matthew Crooks may have bought a 5-foot ladder from a Home Depot before to the shooting, the ladder does not seem to have been utilized to scale the roof and was not discovered there.
There are still unanswered issues regarding how the 20-year-old managed to sneak up to the roof, have a clear view of the former president, and fire multiple bullets at him while the FBI investigates. The inquiry into the alleged gunman’s motivation is still ongoing as of Wednesday. The Secret Service reported that Crooks had been slain on the spot.
“Investigators said Tuesday they found a remote transmitter in the suspect’s pocket that may have been intended to set off two suspicious devices found in the suspect’s car and one in his home, according to law enforcement sources. Devices at both locations were similarly constructed in ammunition containers using components including receivers that appear to have been paired with the remote control found in the suspect’s pocket, sources said,” ABC News reported.
“The receivers in each device were connected to a series of components that investigators say met the ‘eye test’ — having parts present that could have made viable devices, although the functionality of the devices is still being determined. The purpose of the devices is also unknown. Whether they were intended to cause a significant blast effect and hurt people or if they were designed to create smoke, fire and a low-grade blast for a diversion is unclear,” the outlet added.
ABC continued: “Investigators also found a tactical vest in the suspect’s car, though it is unclear why he did not wear it during the assault on the former president’s rally. Some investigators are wondering whether he anticipated dying in the attack. The shooter also asked his employer if he could take a day off on Saturday but said he would return to work perhaps as soon as Sunday, the day after this attack, according to law enforcement sources. But thus far, investigators have turned up nothing to suggest that he had any accomplices or other support to carry out his deadly objective.”
After the FBI examined and unlocked his phone, nothing noteworthy about the suspect’s intentions was found, only what insiders called “routine” information for a male 20-year-old.
Investigators have reportedly found nothing so far to indicate that he needed collaborators or more assistance to accomplish his lethal goal.
In a statement, the Pennsylvania State Police said that while it “was not responsible for securing the building or property” outside the security perimeter where the would-be assassin opened fire, it did provide “all resources” to the Secret Service, including thirty to forty troopers to help secure the inside perimeter of the campaign rally venue in Butler Township, Pennsylvania.
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told ABC News that while the gunman was on the roof shooting at Trump, local police were inside the building. Cheatle added that securing the structure fell to the local government.
“In this particular instance, we did share support for that particular site and that the Secret Service was responsible for the inner perimeter,” Cheatle said. “And then we sought assistance from our local counterparts for the outer perimeter.”
After the federal protection agency claimed that local police were required to have secured the building and rooftop used by the 20-year-old shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police ripped into the U.S. Secret Service.
The group’s president, Patrick Yoes, also said that the Secret Service’s primary function is to protect Trump wherever he is, including the Butler, Pa., venue where he was nearly killed.
Yoes made his remarks after the agency’s director, Kimberly Cheatle, doubled down on her agency’s claim that local police were supposed to secure that building.
“All of us want answers,” Yoes said in a statement, noting remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that the failure in security nearly resulted in Trump losing his life. “All of us in law enforcement can agree that the roof of the building should have been secured by law enforcement. It clearly was not.”
Fox News adds:
The Secret Service has come under fire after it was revealed the alleged shooter was able to obtain an elevated shooting position just outside the security perimeter of the rally. Yoes noted that the agency relies on the support and assistance of local authorities for such events.
“Suggestions made in the media that suggest local agencies should play no role in assisting the USSS at events like that one in Butler simply do not know what they are talking about,” he said.
Yoes said the Secret Service will rely more on local police agencies as the election nears.
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