Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old responsible for the assassination attempt on Donald Trump that resulted in another individual's death, reportedly researched the former president's movements, as well as President Joe Biden and other top officials prior to the attack, FBI investigators said during private briefings to lawmakers, according to the New York Times.
Crooks searched for the dates of Trump's appearances and the Democratic National Convention, as well as ways to treat his own "major depressive disorder," investigators confirmed. The 20-year-old also had photos of both Trump and Biden saved on his cellphone, law enforcement sources had previously confirmed to the New York Post.
Crooks was also reported to have searched for FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland and an unspecified member of the British royal family, according to the New York Times. The shooter also reportedly shared a chilling post online hinting at the attack.
“July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” Crooks wrote on Steam, a social media platform for gamers, according to FOX News, reporting that the post was revealed to U.S. senators during a briefing conducted by top law enforcement officials on Wednesday (July 17).
Newly released video footage shared by WTAE shows Crooks, whose face isn't clearly visible, walking back and forth near a building just outside the secured perimeter of the outdoor event at around 5:06 p.m. local time. A photo obtained by WXPI showed Crooks crawling on the ground and appearing to scope out a spot near the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally at around 5:45 p.m. local time.
The photo was reportedly taken by a law enforcement officer who had previously seen Crooks on the ground and deemed him to be suspicious, multiple sources confirmed to the news station. Crooks, who was found with a detonator wired to an improvised explosive device hidden in the trunk of his car parked nearby, opened fire about 26 minutes after the photo was taken, at which point he was immediately taken out by Secret Service agents.
Trump's right ear was grazed during the shooting and he was seen yelling "fight" to his supporters while being evacuated from the rally by Secret Service members. One spectator, identified as Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed during the incident while two others, David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, were initially critically wounded but have since been upgraded to stable condition.
Police identified Crooks as the shooter late Saturday night. Secret Service snipers immediately took out Crooks, who was found with an AR-style semi-automatic assault rifle and wearing a shirt for the popular gun YouTube channel Demolition Ranch, after he opened fire. Crooks is reported to have donated $15 to the liberal ActBlue political action committee on the day of President Biden's inauguration in January 2021, but later registered to vote as a Republican upon turning 18 in September 2021, according to records obtained and shared by the Intercept.
Trump is scheduled to officially accept the Republican presidential nomination during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this week.