In a startling revelation, the FBI disclosed that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old man who shot former US President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, had flown a drone over the site hours before the attack. The FBI suspects Crooks used the drone to survey his surroundings prior to the shooting.
The drone was discovered in Crooks’ car, but no pictures or videos have been recovered yet. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that they reverse-engineered the flight path and determined that Crooks operated the drone from approximately 3:50 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The first shot was fired at 6:11 p.m.
Trump, who was giving a campaign speech on July 13, remarked that he was saved “by luck or by God” when a bullet grazed his right ear. Wray noted that the drone was not in use during the shooting, suggesting it functioned as a “rearview mirror” for Crooks.
“It’s almost like giving him a rearview mirror of the scene behind him except, again, he wasn’t flying it overhead while he was later back for the assassination,” Wray explained. He added that they are investigating the possibility that Crooks was livestreaming the drone footage.
Further investigation revealed that Crooks had flown the drone about 200 yards (180 meters) from the rally stage. Devices linked to Crooks showed he had searched about the assassination of JFK before targeting Trump. Specifically, on July 6, Crooks Googled, “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?”
On the day of the rally, Crooks registered online under his real name. He then used mechanical equipment and vertical piping to climb onto the roof of a nearby building within 135 meters (157 yards) of the stage. Crooks fired eight shots from an AR-style rifle before being killed, according to NBC Washington. The FBI believes he avoided detection due to a collapsible folding stock on his weapon.
“We are bringing all the resources of the FBI to bear, both criminal and national security. There’s a whole lot of work underway and still a lot of work to do,” said Wray. “The shooter may be deceased, but the FBI’s investigation is very much ongoing.” He emphasized the need to remain vigilant in an elevated threat environment, reinforcing the FBI’s commitment to national security.