Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, was captured on video walking through merchandise stalls less than two hours before the shooting incident.
The footage, obtained by Joe Tomko, owner of Iron Clad USA, shows Crooks strolling past his booth outside the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. According to the Daily Mail, this video is the earliest known recording of Crooks at the rally.
The video was filmed at 4:26 pm, exactly the same time a local police sniper texted his colleagues about seeing a man, believed to be Crooks, sitting at a picnic table nearby. Tomko told the Daily Mail that he was unaware he had filmed Crooks until he reviewed the footage a week after the shooting on July 20.
Crooks was seen wearing the same gray T-shirt, made by the Demolition Ranch firearms influencer's page, and white shorts that he had on when he was killed. However, he did not have any of the gear he later brought to the Butler Farm Show grounds, including a backpack that was found later, along with a bike and rangefinder.
The video shows Crooks casually walking north towards the security checkpoint. Tomko explained that the vendor's area had no security, allowing anyone to walk in off the street. Rally attendees would then continue past the booths to a checkpoint with airport-style security to reach the actual rally area.
Tomko stated that he did not pay attention to where Crooks went after passing his booth. It is believed that Crooks could have easily ridden his bike or walked in that direction, veered west to avoid the checkpoint, and gone to the road to reach the American Glass Research (AGR) building.
Crooks was reportedly spotted by police and Secret Service agents several times before the shooting but was not detained. This security lapse is currently under investigation. Group texts between snipers from Beaver, Butler, and Washington County placed Crooks in a different location around the same time as the Iron Clad video.
Beaver County sniper James Woods finished his shift and spotted someone at a picnic table "about 50 yards from the exit." He texted the group chat at 4:26 pm to notify the other snipers to keep an eye on the suspicious individual. The person Woods saw is generally accepted to be Crooks, though the exact location of the picnic table is unclear.
At 5:14 pm, another sniper, Greg Nicol, saw a young man hanging around the AGR building and looking at the stage through a rangefinder. Nicol took two photos but didn't send them to the group chat until 5:38 pm. The Secret Service was informed of the sighting at 5:44 pm.
Nicol said he spotted Crooks from a northwest-facing window just before 6 pm, running energetically with his backpack. He quickly descended the stairs to follow, but by the time he reached the outside, the individual had vanished. Upon exiting, two police officers arrived, and Nicol promptly informed them of the potential threat. Together, they initiated a thorough search of the AGR complex.
Video footage found by police showed Crooks climbing onto the roof at 6:06 pm. The Secret Service was informed at 6:09 pm, and its two snipers stationed on roofs above the stage turned to face the AGR building.
At 6:11 pm, Crooks opened fire, grazing Trump in the right ear and killing supporter Corey Comperatore in the crowd. He managed to fire eight bullets before being gunned down by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
The newly revealed video provides crucial insights into Crooks' movements before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. It shows him walking through merchandise stalls at 4:26 pm, less than two hours before the shooting. Despite multiple sightings by security personnel, Crooks was not detained, raising questions about the effectiveness of security measures at the event. The timeline of events leading up to the shooting highlights the rapid escalation of the situation in the final moments before Crooks opened fire.
