Gunman Who Attempted to Shoot Donald Trump Searched for JFK Assassination Details, Says FBI Director
The man who tried to shoot Donald Trump at a campaign rally had been researching the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy in the days leading up to the attack, FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed on Wednesday.
During a congressional hearing, Wray shared that the gunman used a drone to survey the area where Trump was set to speak, two hours before the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Although the FBI has not determined the motive behind the attack, Wray assured the House Judiciary Committee that investigators are working diligently to uncover answers.
Trump survived the attempt, with only a minor injury to his right ear. The suspected shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by a Secret Service sniper less than 30 seconds after he fired eight shots.
“There’s some question about whether it was a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray mentioned regarding Trump’s injury.
The attack also left two rally attendees seriously injured and resulted in the death of a 50-year-old Pennsylvania firefighter.
Wray noted that Crooks had been researching various public figures but there was no discernible pattern. Starting around July 6, Crooks became fixated on Trump and registered for the Butler rally that same day.
On July 6, Crooks searched for “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” indicating a significant insight into his mindset.
No evidence has been found that Crooks had any accomplices; he appears to have acted alone.
Crooks was positioned on a nearby rooftop and began firing with an AR-style assault rifle around 6:00 pm as Trump was addressing the crowd.
Drone Flight
The day after the attack, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, admitting the agency’s failure to prevent the assassination attempt.
Wray disclosed that Crooks flew a drone near the rally for about 11 minutes between 3:50 pm and 4:00 pm. The drone was not directly over the stage but roughly 200 yards away. Both the drone and its controller were found in Crooks’s car, along with two crude explosive devices. Another device was discovered at his residence.
On the day of the shooting, Crooks bought a ladder, but it seems he didn’t use it. Instead, he climbed to the roof using mechanical equipment and vertical piping. His AR-style gun had a collapsible stock, which might explain why he wasn’t spotted with the weapon before the attack.
Crooks had visited the rally site multiple times: about a week prior for 70 minutes on the morning of the rally and again in the afternoon. He also bought 50 rounds of ammunition on the day of the attack and visited a shooting range the day before.
