The first shot to strike the man who fired at former President Donald Trump was from a local law enforcement officer, according to a preliminary report from an investigation by a U.S. congressman.
Thomas Crooks fired eight shots from the rooftop of a building near where Trump was speaking in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
When the SWAT officer saw Crooks as a moving target on the rooftop, he quickly left his post and sprinted toward the man, “running to a clear shot position directly into the line of fire while Crooks was firing,” Higgins said.
“He stopped Crooks and importantly, I believe the shot damaged the buffer tube on Crooks’ AR,” Higgins added later, citing eyewitness testimony.
If the shot damaged the buffer tube on the rifle Crooks was using, it would have left Crooks unable to fire more shots.
Crooks went down from his firing position but popped back up several seconds later, the SWAT officer said.
That’s when a shot from a U.S. Secret Service counter-sniper struck Crooks, killing him, according to Higgins.
The Secret Service has said one of its counter-snipers took out Crooks.
Higgins, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives task force, traveled to Butler County to recreate how Crooks climbed onto the roof and assess what happened.
He said he was assisted in the investigation by local officials, including the Butler County Emergency Services Unit tactical team commander and a top official with the Butler County District Attorney’s office.
Higgins said that among the theories he probed was whether there was another shooter on top of a water tower overlooking the fairgrounds.
“There are videos on the internet showing a dark figure or a shadow on the water tower on J13. If there had been someone on that tower on J13, it would have to have been some top-shelf operator way beyond anything I’ve ever actually seen,” Higgins wrote. “Regular SWAT operators or snipers would not have the skills and gear to quickly overcome the first 25 feet of no ladder and then climb the remaining 75 feet to the catwalk, and then climb the quite intimidating and precarious dome vent access ladder.”
Higgins said he did not think it was possible for a second shooter to have been on top of the tower and that he did not see any evidence supporting the theory. He also stated that all 10 shots heard that day were accounted for, with eight coming from Crooks, one from a local SWAT officer, and one from the Secret Service.
Higgins said he plans on climbing to the top of the tower in the future as he continues to investigate the shooting.
“As I have said, every question will be answered, every theory explored, and every doubt erased. The American people deserve the full truth on the attempted assassination of President Trump,” Higgins said in a statement. “Our investigative efforts are moving forward in good faith. The release of my preliminary investigative report is reflective of my desire to deliver transparency and reassurance to the American people.”
Higgins sent his findings to Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), the chairman of the House task force.
Kelly and Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), the top Democrat on the committee, recently asked top federal officials, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, for documents and information related to the attempted assassination. Lawmakers have not yet disclosed what information they’ve received.
