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The footage of Trump's 20-year-old assassin wandering around the scene before the attack was made public, and his father called the police that day

2024-07-18

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On July 17 local time, the American TV station WTAE released a video of 20-year-old assassin Thomas Crooks wandering around the scene before the crime, less than an hour before presidential candidate Donald Trump gave a speech.

From the picture, we can see that Crooks stood outside the crowd and kept watching, but he was empty-handed and did not carry any guns. An unnamed photographer took this picture. Later, in an interview with News Channel 4, he admitted that he was so scared that he could not sleep when he watched the video again.

According to the Daily Mail, Crooks attracted the attention of the police when he passed through the security area with a rangefinder at around 3 pm that day, but he soon disappeared.

Then, around 5:06 p.m. that day, Crooks was photographed walking back and forth near a building outside a security fence, and around 5:30 p.m. that day, Beaver County police spotted Crooks and took photos of him crawling on the ground.

About 15 minutes later, the police found Crooks climbing onto the roof and took a second photo and reported it to the command center. But for some reason, law enforcement did not take action until around 6:11 p.m., when Crooks aimed an AR-type semi-automatic rifle at Trump and injured his right ear.

Trump took the stage at 6:03 p.m., an hour later than originally planned. Investigators have also been looking for clues since the shooting.

But investigators believe that Crooks acted alone and "there is no evidence that he had any political motives." According to WPXI, Crooks was found by police within seven minutes of getting the gun, but at that time, the police had to leave.

Speaking about the reason, Butler County Sheriff Michael Throop explained that the police climbed onto the roof, but Crooks pointed the gun at him, and in this case he had no chance to draw his gun.

After the police retreated, Crooks quickly shot Trump. Two other newly released photos also showed that a bicycle of Crooks was found near the scene, as well as a remote detonator connected to the explosives he had in the car.

Meanwhile, investigators also found a bulletproof vest and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in Crooks' car, which he allegedly purchased on the day of the shooting, as well as a ladder.

Later, another bulletproof vest and a third remote-controlled bomb were found in Crooks' home. According to the latest information, Crooks also carried a transmitter. If he managed to escape, he might continue to kill people, and there might even be accomplices secretly assisting him.

It is worth mentioning that on the day of the incident, Crooks' father called the police. According to CNN, Crooks took his father's rifle to the shooting range of the Clairton Sportsman Club to practice and promised him to go home before 1 pm that day.

But seeing that his son had not returned for a long time, Crooks' father finally chose to call the police. Speaking of his son's incredible behavior, he, as a behavioral therapist, was also confused.

Image source: Dailymail, Bing