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Several law enforcement officials and lawmakers briefed on the matter said that law enforcement officials looking into the assassination attempt on Donald Trump told lawmakers on Wednesday that there was a 20-minute lag between when U.S. Secret Service snipers first spotted the gunman on a rooftop and when shots were fired at the former president.
At 5:52 p.m. ET on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, officials stated that snipers had seen the suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, on the roof of a building outside the security zone of the gathering. Twenty minutes later, at 6:12 p.m. ET, the shooting took place, according to the sources, ABC News reported.
The Secret Service’s response to the attempted assassination has come under fire in the days following the gunshot, and Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the organization, has been summoned to testify before Congress. According to a Department of Homeland Security representative, she “welcomes the opportunity to testify.”
The chronology was made public after sources informed ABC News that Crooks looked up pictures of former President Trump and President Joe Biden on his phone. He also looked up the Trump rally dates in Butler and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Investigators attempted to ascertain Crooks’ motivation, as the phone search history did not indicate his political views.
The FBI director, his deputy director, and the head of the Secret Service all stated that 62 minutes before the shooting, lawmakers briefed law enforcement officials on Crooks’ status as a person of interest.
The timeline that was given in the briefing was as follows, via ABC News:
5:10 p.m. Crooks was first identified as a person of interest
5:30 p.m. Crooks was spotted with a rangefinder
5:52 p.m. The Secret Service spotted Crooks on the roof.
6:02 p.m. Trump takes the stage
6:12 p.m. Crooks fires first shots
“From the time Crooks fired his first shot to the gunman being killed, it was just 26 seconds, according to law enforcement officials. Eleven seconds after the first shot, Secret Service countersnipers acquired their target — and 15 seconds after that, Crooks was shot dead,” ABC News reported.
“Briefers told lawmakers that Crooks purchased an ammunition box at a Walmart on July 5, two days after the rally was announced. On July 13, he went to the rally site in the morning, was there for an hour, and then left. He came back sometime in the early 5 p.m. hour and tried to enter the security perimeter,” the outlet added.
ABC continued: “New analysis by ABC News’ visual verification team reveals that one of two sniper teams posted atop buildings to the north and south behind the rally stage repositioned before the first gunshots were fired. At 6:09 p.m., three minutes before the first gunshots rang out, the sniper team on the roof of the building south of the stage, the furthest away from the shooter’s location, repositioned, turning from the south to the north in the direction of the shooter’s location.”
Sources stated that the purpose of the attempted assassination is still unknown and that they have not found any ideological connection to either Biden or Trump.
Law police informed members that they believe neither of the shooter’s parents has significant political leanings, based on discussions with them.
200 interviews have been done as part of the probe, the FBI informed legislators, according to a source.
By climbing an air conditioner that was reachable from the ground and dragging himself up to the top of a building beyond the security cordon, Crooks was able to obtain a clear shot at the former president, according to individuals who spoke with ABC News. According to accounts, he was able to approach the top of the nearby American Glass Research (AGR) building from there.
According to Trump, he was shot in the right ear.
According to officials, three rallygoers were shot during the event, one of whom was 50-year-old volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died while protecting his family from the gunshots. The condition of the other two rally participants was described as stable.
