The final photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old responsible for the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump that resulted in another individual’s death, was taken by police nearly 30 minutes before the attack took place.
A photo obtained by WXPI shows 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 Joe 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.
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