Haunting new images reveal Thomas Crooks scoping out the grounds around Donald Trump's rally before 'bear-crawling' onto the rooftop

A haunting caller video shows Donald Trump's would-be assassin lurking astir nan grounds of nan rally astir an hr earlier nan shooting took place. 

The caller clip, first reported by WTAE successful Pittsburgh, sees Thomas Crooks, 20, stepping alone, acold from nan remainder of nan fervent crowd, who waited successful nan baking sun to spot nan ex-president speak connected July 14 successful municipality of Butler. 

Crooks is seen adjacent to a building conscionable extracurricular of nan unafraid perimeter astatine 5:03 pm. The crazed gunman opened occurrence connected Trump astatine 6:11 pm, wounding nan Republican nominee successful nan receptor and sidesplitting retired occurrence chief Corey Comperatore.

When he's first seen successful nan video, Crooks is stepping successful a guidance distant from nan crowd passed a warehouse. The camera pans distant from him for a fewer seconds and past catches him again, this clip he's opinionated successful place, looking up astatine something.

This video is nan latest illustration of Crooks' bizarre behaviour anterior to nan attempted assassination that only piqued nan liking of the Secret Service minutes earlier nan attack. 

By nan clip a photograph of Crooks was circulated to officers astir 5:40pm, information had mislaid way of him, allowing him to return up a position connected apical of nan American Glass Research building and unfastened fire.  

The man who recorded nan video told nan position that he was simply trying to seizure nan crowd size. It was only erstwhile he reviewed nan clip aft nan shooting did he announcement was signaling nan shooter. 

'I wanted to cookware nan crowd because it was a monolithic crowd, truthful I was conscionable taking successful nan moment. So this was earlier nan shooting. Obviously had nary thought really that day, really that time would end,' nan unnamed man said.

'When I saw nan video past night, erstwhile I was going backmost done my my video clips and saw him, I was chilled to nan constituent wherever I couldn't autumn dormant correct away... 

At nan clip nan video was taken, Crooks had already been flagged arsenic suspicious by rule enforcement. By nan clip 2 constabulary officers walked complete to cheque him out, he was connected nan roof, belly crawling.

'He's sewage a gun,' a bystander yelled. I didn't slumber well. There's - there's something. Something really went incorrect pinch this,' he said. 

One serviceman hoisted nan different to nan articulator of nan roof. As nan serviceman pulled his caput complete nan edge, a long-haired young man wearing glasses turned toward him, wielding an AR-15 -style rifle. The serviceman dropped backmost to nan ground, nan Butler County sheriff said. 

Crooks, an introverted 20-year-old machine whiz who had conscionable earned a spot astatine a assemblage engineering program, turned backmost to his target astir 400 feet away. 

He squeezed disconnected respective shots astatine Trump, clipping nan erstwhile president's ear, sidesplitting an assemblage personnel and wounding 2 others earlier Secret Service snipers connected a adjacent building killed him pinch counterfire.

This relationship of nan first assassination effort to injure a U.S. president since 1981 is based connected interviews pinch much than 2 twelve people, including rule enforcement officials, Crooks' schoolhouse associates and witnesses who attended nan rally, on pinch nationalist records and news accounts.

Crooks fired his firearm astatine astir 6:10 pm, according to a Reuters photographer astatine nan rally. Trump winced and grabbed his correct ear. Secret Service agents tackled nan erstwhile president and immoderate supporters dived for cover. 

A slug deed what appeared to beryllium nan hydraulic statement of a forklift that held a slope of speakers to nan correct broadside of nan stage. Fluid spewed crossed nan crowd and nan lift's limb collapsed. To nan left, screams erupted wherever a spectator had been fatally shot. 

As Secret Service agents tackled nan erstwhile president, immoderate supporters scrambled for safety. Others grabbed children and hustled towards nan gates.

'The assemblage wasn't for illustration what you'd expect retired of a crowd that conscionable knowledgeable thing for illustration this,' said Saurabh Sharma, a Trump protagonist sitting adjacent nan front. 

'Everyone was really quiet. There were a fewer women crying. They were, you know, saying, 'I can't judge they tried to termination him.' 

Four days aft nan assassination attempt, a coherent image of nan moments earlier nan shooting was emerging. But Crooks' ideology and reasons for pulling nan trigger remained a mystery.

A reappraisal of Crooks' telephone by nan Federal Bureau of Investigation recovered he had searched for images of some President Joe Biden and Trump, arsenic good arsenic different celebrated figures, successful nan days earlier nan shooting, nan New York Times reported connected Wednesday, citing U.S. lawmakers briefed connected nan rule enforcement investigation.

Crooks had been searching for nan dates of Trump's nationalist appearances and of nan Democratic National Convention, nan study said. He had besides looked up 'major depressive disorder' connected his phone, nan Times said. 

Crooks appeared to walk astatine slightest immoderate clip preparing for nan Trump event. 

He bought ammunition connected nan time of nan rally, stopping astatine a weapon shop successful his hometown of Bethel Park to prime up 50 rounds, according to a associated bulletin issued this week by nan Department of Homeland Security and nan Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is starring nan investigation.

He built 3 homemade bombs – 2 recovered successful his car and different successful his home, according to nan bulletin. 

In nan preceding months, nan bulletin noted, Crooks had received 'multiple packages, including immoderate marked arsenic perchance containing hazardous material.'

At nan rally, Crooks caught nan attraction of section rule enforcement while pacing astir nan grounds earlier Trump took nan stage. 

One serviceman called successful a study of a suspicious personification and snapped a photograph that was distributed electronically to different officers astatine nan scene, according to Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe, a Trump backer who was seated adjacent nan beforehand of nan rally arsenic a typical guest.

As 2 Butler Township Police officers responded to nan call, group successful nan crowd already had noticed a man connected nan roof.

Slupe told Reuters nan serviceman who initially pulled himself onto nan tile had nary clip to unholster his weapon erstwhile Crooks turned connected him, leaving him nary action but to driblet backmost to nan ground.

Secret Service officials person said their agency is responsible for securing nan area wrong nan event's information perimeter.

The building utilized by Crooks was conscionable extracurricular it. But immoderate erstwhile agency officials and different information experts person disputed that contention, arguing that buildings pinch a nonstop show statement and wrong firing scope of nan erstwhile president should person been swept and nether changeless surveillance by nan service's sniper teams.

Local officials person bristled astatine immoderate suggestions that municipality aliases region rule enforcement was responsible for securing nan building.