Around two weeks after the failed attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life, new details are emerging about the shooting and the days leading up to it.
The perpetrator, Thomas Matthew Crooks, who authorities say acted alone, was fatally shot within seconds of opening fire.
According to FBI Director Christopher Wray, at least 700 FBI agents are involved in the investigation into the matter—the first attempted assassination of a U.S. president in more than four decades. Two other reviews into the Secret Service’s security failure are ongoing.
While these investigations are underway, a clearer image of the incident has come into focus—though many questions, including the shooter’s motives, remain unanswered.
New details were disclosed in testimonies to Congress in the week of July 22 by Mr. Wray, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, and Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris.
So far, more than 100 interviews have been conducted, and more than 1,000 pieces of evidence have been cataloged, according to Col. Paris.
July 3
The Trump campaign announces a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
A screenshot of the rally event announcement on former President Donald Trump's campaign website. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times, donaldjtrump.com)
July 6
Mr. Crooks searches online for upcoming events being held by former President Trump and the Democratic National Committee, according to Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), who cites briefings from law enforcement officials.Mr. Crooks searches on the internet for how far away Lee Harvey Oswald was from President John F. Kennedy when Oswald shot the president.
“That’s a search that’s obviously significant in terms of his state of mind,” Mr. Wray told the House Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Crooks registers for the Butler rally on July 6.
Thomas Matthew Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, in Bethel Park, Pa. (Bethel Park School District via AP)
July 6
Mr. Crooks visits the site of the rally for the first time, a week before the shooting.“I think, a week before, he spent roughly 20 minutes there,” Mr. Wray testified.
A map shows the location of the rally in Butler, Pa. (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Maptiler)
July 12
The day before the shooting, Mr. Crooks goes to a shooting range, where he practices with a rifle.July 13
Morning—Mr. Crooks Returns to Rally SiteOn the morning of the rally, Mr. Crooks returns to the site of the rally and spends around 70 minutes there. It was the second of his three visits to the site, according to Mr. Wray.
The rally site in Butler, Pa. (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Reuters)
1:30 p.m.—Crooks Buys Ammunition
Mr. Crooks purchases around 50 rounds of ammunition for the rifle he uses in the assassination attempt.Mr. Wray said that the FBI has learned this purchase took place at around 1:30 p.m. ET, approximately 5 hours before the shooting.
3:50 p.m.—Drone Flown
About two hours before the shooting, Mr. Crooks flies a drone to survey the rally site. He operates it about 200 yards from the stage where former President Trump plans to speak.The drone, Mr. Wray said, afforded the gunman a “rearview mirror” of the scene behind him and a better assessment of the angle toward the podium.
The FBI has recovered the drone.
5:10 p.m.—Sniper Notices Crooks
Approximately an hour before the shooting, Mr. Crooks is identified by a local law enforcement sniper, according to a report by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).This sniper is one of two posted inside the American Glass Research (AGR) building, the same building from which Mr. Crooks fires an hour later.
The sniper who notices Mr. Crooks doesn’t immediately report it.
In her testimony, former Secret Service Director Cheatle said that the rally was allowed to proceed because Mr. Crooks was deemed as suspicious but not as a threat.
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in Washington on July 22, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
5:14 p.m.—Mr. Crooks Photographed
Law enforcement officers take pictures of Mr. Crooks around 5:14 p.m., according to Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).According to body camera footage taken in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, a Beaver County sniper caught images of Mr. Crooks arriving via bicycle.
Local officers notice Mr. Crooks has a rangefinder, which are used to calculate distances for firearms, a little less than an hour before shots are fired.
Mr. Crooks is not yet considered a threat by the Secret Service, and isn’t until moments before the shooting.
5:38 p.m.—Crooks Reported to Command
The local law enforcement sniper who had initially noticed Mr. Crooks at 5:10 p.m. reports it in to command roughly 28 minutes later, at 5:38 p.m., according to Mr. Johnson.
Col. Paris said local officers deem Mr. Crooks suspicious because he is “milling around that area in front of the AGR building” but not entering the rally venue.
At the time, the officer is asked to report it to the Butler emergency services command center, which is in charge of distributing communications.
Notably, according to Mr. Johnson’s report, communications were siloed by agency, limiting communication between local and state police and the Secret Service. This means that the local sniper is unable to immediately communicate it to the Secret Service.
Col. Paris said multiple people were identified as suspicious at the rally.
A photo of the building from which Thomas Matthew Crooks fired on former President Donald Trump is presented before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee during a hearing in Washington on July 22, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
5:41 p.m.—Command Made Aware of Crooks
Three minutes later, the law enforcement command center in Butler is made aware of Mr. Crooks by the sniper who initially noticed him, Mr. Johnson’s report says.5:49 p.m.—Pictures of Crooks Distributed
Nine minutes after he makes the initial report to the command center, the sniper sends photos of Mr. Crooks to command, which are then distributed.Around 5:51 p.m.—Secret Service Alerted
Pennsylvania State Police alerts the Secret Service to a man with a rangefinder at around the same time, Col. Paris told lawmakers on July 23.Snipers stationed in a building overlooking the roof of the nearby AGR building leave their post to look for Mr. Crooks around the same time, Col. Paris said.
Mr. Crooks could have and should have been apprehended around this timeCol. Paris says at the hearing.
“I would say Mr. Crooks could have been encountered and intercepted. That would have been the ideal,” Col. Paris said.
Ms. Cheatle said in her testimony that rangefinders, which can offer a zoomed-in image to users, aren’t prohibited items and carrying one wasn’t enough on its own to label Mr. Crooks a threat.
Col. Christopher Paris, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security in Washington on July 23, 2024. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
5:55—Command Confirms Receipt of Photos
The Butler command center confirms receipt of the photos of Mr. Crooks from the sniper and says the sniper’s concerns are relayed to other security groups.6:02 p.m. —Trump Takes the Stage
Former President Trump takes the stage to his usual intro, with “God Bless the USA” playing in the background.6:06 p.m.—Agents Told of Issue
Around four minutes after former President Trump takes the stage, Secret Service agents are alerted to “an issue being worked at the 3 o’clock of the president,” according to Ms. Cheatle.Sometime Before 6:09 p.m.—Crooks Climbs on Roof
Mr. Crooks has taken a position on the roof sometime before 6:09 p.m., at which point video verifies that he had scaled the building.Mr. Crooks “climbed onto the roof using some mechanical equipment on the ground and vertical piping on the side of the AGR building,” Mr. Wray said.
The FBI discovered later that Mr. Crooks had previously purchased a ladder, though Mr. Wray said that the FBI does not believe that he used this ladder to scale the building, as no ladder was found at the scene of the incident.
6:09 p.m.—Onlookers Notice Gunman on Roof
About two minutes before the first shot rings out, onlookers outside the rally are captured on video pointing out the shooter while yelling to law enforcement.“Look, they’re all pointing,” one says.
“Yeah, someone’s on top of the roof,” another says.
The video zooms in on the shooter: “Yeah, he’s right there, you see him? He’s laying down; you see him?”
“Officer!” one shouts.
“He’s on the roof!” one woman says, sounding exasperated. “Right here, right on the roof.”
6:10 p.m.—Counter Snipers Notified
Approximately 90 seconds before the shooting, Secret Service snipers are notified about Mr. Crooks’s position on the roof.Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) mentioned this during a July 24 hearing, citing briefings from law enforcement officials.
A still from a video shows a U.S. Secret Service sniper on duty at the rally. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times, Stephen Lasko/AP)
6:11 p.m.—Suspicious Person Deemed a Threat
Mr. Crooks is deemed a threat after being labeled “suspicious” up to this point, Ms. Cheatle told lawmakers on July 22.Seconds Before Shooting—Officer Sees Gunman
Moments before the shooting, a police officer with Butler Township notices Mr. Crooks and attempts to approach him by climbing onto the roof.As the officer grabs onto the roof’s ledge to get on the roof, the shooter turns and aims his gun at the officer.
6:11:18 p.m.—Trump Speaks
Former President Trump is on stage discussing illegal immigration.6:11:31—Trump Turns Head
Former President Trump turns his head, glancing at a chart of immigration data displayed on jumbotrons set up on either side of the stage.
Former President Donald Trump points to a chart showing immigration data moments before he was shot. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
6:11:32 p.m.—Shots Fired
The first shots are heard on camera right after former President Trump turns his head.After the first shot rings out, the former president whips his hand to his ear, appears to notice blood, and quickly drops to the ground.
In later comments on the incident, former President Trump said he “knew something was wrong” almost immediately, particularly when he saw the blood.
According to Mr. Wray and Col. Paris, eight shell casings were recovered, indicating that Mr. Crooks fired as many rounds.
Ms. Cheatle reported that the countersniper who neutralized Mr. Crooks fired a single shot.
(Illustration by The Epoch Times)
6:11:36 p.m.—Agents Rush On Stage
Several Secret Service agents rush on to the stage, swarming former President Trump, who was still crouched behind the podium.Some of the agents’ comments are picked up by the microphone.
“What’re we doing, what’re we doing?” one female agent says. “Where are we going?”
6:12:32 p.m.—Trump Rises
For nearly a full minute, former President Trump remained prone on the stage, his body covered by Secret Service agents.Two Secret Service personnel carrying military grade rifles take to the stage, scanning the crowd as Secret Service agents determine their next move.
Several agents shout, “Shooter down.”
“Shooter down, are we good to move?” a female agent asks.
“Shooter’s down,” a male agent replies. “We’re good to move.”
At this point, former President Trump begins to slowly stand up, still largely covered by agents. His shirt and hair are disheveled, and streaks of blood run down the right side of his face.
As he stands up, agents continue to shield his body.
Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents after he was shot. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
6:12:47 p.m.—‘Fight, Fight, Fight!’
As former President Trump stands up, he agents, “Let me get my shoes.”Moments later, he says, “Wait, wait, wait.”
The former president then raises his fist to the crowd and is seen saying the words, “Fight, fight, fight!”
A video (top) and a photo (bottom) show former President Donald Trump raising his fist while being escorted off the stage at the rally. (Bottom) Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. (NTD, Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
6:12:55 p.m. —Trump Escorted Out
With most of his body still shielded by agents, former President Trump is carefully escorted off stage as he continues to pump his fist for the crowd.He is taken by agents to a nearby vehicle, which pulls away.
Former President Trump is taken to Butler Memorial Hospital to receive medical attention, while several patients in the ER pray.
Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter is killed during the shooting as he shields his wife and daughter from gunfire. Two other men are seriously wounded, including 74-year-old James Copenhaver, of Moon Township, and 57-year-old David Dutch, of New Kensington.
Former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is helped into a vehicle to leave the rally. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)
‘Detonation Device’ Discovered on Shooter’s Body
After the shooting, investigators recover three “relatively crude” explosive devices capable of being detonated remotely, according to Mr. Wray.In addition, a “detonation device” is discovered on the shooter’s body, according to Col. Paris.
Few other details about the explosive devices have been released.
Aside from the joint investigation being conducted by the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police, the Secret Service plans to issue its own investigation report in about 60 days, according to Ms. Cheatle before she resigned.
The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s Office has opened an investigation into the Secret Service’s “process for securing former President Trump’s July 13, 2024 campaign event.”
The House voted unanimously on July 24 to pass a resolution creating a special task force to investigate the attempted assassination.
“We are announcing a House Task Force made up of seven Republicans and six Democrats to thoroughly investigate the matter,” Mr. Johnson and Mr. Jeffries wrote in a joint statement.
“The task force will be empowered with subpoena authority and will move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and make certain such failures never happen again.”
