Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks, flew a drone 200 yards from the rally stage two hours before the shooting.
FBI Director Christopher Wray informed lawmakers that the 20-year-old gunman operated a drone near the stage just two hours before opening fire in Butler, Pennsylvania, and had three explosives in his car.
These revelations provide insight into Crooks’ preparation for the attack, including his online research on the sniper who killed JFK in 1963. Wray stated that Crooks became fixated on former President Trump around July 6, the same day he registered for the Butler rally, and searched on Google for “how far away was Oswald from Kennedy.”
Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Wray revealed that Crooks used the drone to survey the rally site two hours before the shooting. Crooks shot Trump in the ear from 400 feet away, on the roof of a nearby building just outside the event’s security perimeter, on July 13.
Investigators found the drone in Crooks’ nearby parked car. Wray mentioned that Crooks flew the drone around 4 p.m., approximately 200 yards from the stage, while Trump took the stage at 6:03 p.m., over two hours later.
The FBI also recovered three “relatively crude” explosive devices that could be detonated remotely from Crooks’ possession. The weapon used had a “collapsible stock,” making it less noticeable.
It remains unclear if Crooks carried the gun to the roof or stashed it there beforehand. He accessed the roof using “vertical piping” rather than a ladder. Crooks and his family owned 14 guns, and he visited a shooting range a day before the rally. He used an AR-style weapon purchased legally by his father. Eight bullet cartridges were recovered from the roof.
Wray did not rule out the possibility of accomplices, stating that the investigation is ongoing. He faced questions about why Trump was allowed on stage despite the identified threat 20 minutes before the shots were fired. Wray admitted, “we don’t know the answer to that,” emphasizing that the investigation is focused on the shooter and related aspects, not the security breach or Secret Service failures.
The hearing follows the resignation of former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle after evading questions by deferring to the FBI in another congressional hearing. Wray assured that the FBI’s investigation would leave “no stone unturned,” stressing that despite the shooter’s death, the investigation continues. He also reiterated warnings about the threats of domestic terrorism.