Local police and Secret Service agents responded to a report of a suspicious male near the AGR Building, where the gunman was later spotted on the rooftop. The Secret Service had identified the suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, more than an hour before the shooting erupted.
**Bethel Park, Pennsylvania** - In a shocking turn of events, local authorities have revealed that the Secret Service had identified the suspect in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump more than an hour before the shooting occurred. The suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, was identified as "suspicious" and police were dispatched to assist in his search.
As former President Trump arrived at his campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, a call went out regarding a suspicious male near the AGR Building. Several police officers responded to the area, leaving their traffic posts to aid in the search.
Trump Rally Shooting: Secret Service Identified Suspicious Individual Over an Hour Prior
According to Butler Township Manager Tom Knights, a search was conducted around the building, but the person of interest could not be located. A Butler Township police officer climbed up to the rooftop with the assistance of another officer and spotted the gunman, later identified as Crooks.
Simultaneously, witnesses reported seeing someone on the rooftop with a gun, prompting officers to confront Crooks. However, he aimed his rifle at the officer, forcing the officer to let go of the roof edge and fall to the ground. Butler Township police immediately communicated Crooks' location and that he was armed.
Trump Rally Shooting: Secret Service Identified Suspicious Individual Over an Hour Prior
Crooks fired at least four people before snipers from the Secret Service and local law enforcement returned fire. A Secret Service agent neutralized him at the scene, but not before he fatally wounded Corey Comperatore, 50, and critically injured David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
Trump was hit in the ear and sustained a bloody wound on the side of his head. Secret Service agents escorted him off the stage. The Secret Service secured the scene, and the FBI took over the investigation.
Trump Rally Shooting: Secret Service Identified Suspicious Individual Over an Hour Prior
Following a congressional briefing, Senator John Barasso disclosed that lawmakers were informed that Crooks had been identified more than an hour before Trump took the stage. Sources had previously reported that an initial sighting of Crooks carrying a range-finder had been reported to Pennsylvania State Police but dismissed.
The Pennsylvania State Police countered that they had sent troopers to assist in rally security upon the Secret Service's request, but they were not responsible for covering the building or property used by Crooks.
The FBI is investigating the potential motive and Crooks' recent communications. The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general has also launched an investigation into the Secret Service's handling of security for the event.
Butler Township officials stressed their cooperation with the investigating agencies and declined to comment further until the investigation report is complete and released to the public.
