A newly released video reported on Monday, Aug. 19, added further scrutiny to the security preparation before the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13. In the video, Thomas Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate Trump, could be seen strolling the grounds of the rally hours before the shooting. Crooks wounded Trump, killed one spectator and critically injured two other spectators.
The footage is reportedly from a merchandise vendor at the event, and it comes days after an image of Crooks began circulating on Friday, Aug. 16. In the image, Crooks can be seen sitting on a wall a grassy area as he waited for Trump to take the stage
Crooks was reportedly on local law enforcement’s radar well before the attack. One local officer took pictures of Crooks, labeling him as “suspicious person” at least an hour before the incident.
The emergence of the video and picture come amid an investigation by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who described a trip to Butler after the assassination attempt in a preliminary report.
He said he wanted to view Crooks’ body, but discovered the FBI released his remains for cremation 10 days after the shooting. The congressman accused the FBI of obstructing the investigation by allowing the body to be cremated. He also said that both the coroner’s and autopsy reports were late.
