Investigation Underway After Attempted Assassination of Former President Donald Trump
Details have emerged about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The 20-year-old gunman evaded Secret Service agents and local law enforcement, reaching a rooftop 140 meters away from Trump and firing shots that grazed the former president's ear. Crooks was shot dead by the Secret Service immediately after. An ongoing investigation has revealed a timeline leading up to the shooting. Sixty minutes before the shooting, Crooks was spotted by police outside the event perimeter, with reports of suspicious behavior. At that time, the Secret Service and police were alerted. Forty minutes before the shooting, Crooks was seen with a rangefinder, potentially measuring the distance between the roof and the platform where Trump was speaking. Twenty minutes before the shooting, Crooks was spotted on the roof by the Secret Service with local police sent to investigate. Two minutes before the shooting, rally attendees spotted Crooks on the roof and alerted the police. Thirty seconds before the shooting, an officer tried to reach Crooks but was threatened with a rifle. The shooting resulted in Trump being grazed by a bullet and three spectators being hit, one fatally. The Secret Service sniper team killed Crooks immediately after. The aftermath led to a subpoena of the Secret Service director for a congressional hearing and calls for resignation due to the security lapse. President Joe Biden ordered an independent review of security measures. The investigation continues into the events surrounding the attempted assassination.
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