Donald Trump’s 20-year-old would-be assassin allegedly used a drone to aerially scope out the Pennsylvania fairgrounds ahead of the Republican presidential nominee’s speech hours as part of his sinister plot last weekend, according to a report.
Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks programmed the drone to fly over the Butler Farm Showgrounds before his assassination attempt on the former president, 78, law enforcement officials briefed on the incident said, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Investigators also believe he flew the remotely piloted aircraft around the campaign rally site more than once as he mapped out the course of the attack, further adding to the Secret Service’s stunning failure to protect Trump.
Crooks had allegedly programmed the drone to fly over the site on a “predetermined path” to better understand the layout of the rally grounds, according to the outlet.
A drone was later found in Crooks’ car after he was shot dead when he opened fire on Trump.
The Secret Service reportedly did not use drones themselves to keep a watchful eye over the event.
It’s unclear at what time the gunman was flying the drone or how many times he had done so before launching his heinous attack.
Crooks, described by friends as intelligent but shy, began researching the site shortly after the Trump campaign announced the rally on July 3 and registered for the event on July 7, officials told the Journal.
He had reportedly staked the farm out days before Trump arrived and is believed to have also used a bike to explore the vast grounds of the Butler County Farm Show.
Crooks opened fire at 6:11 p.m. with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle from the roof of a building 130 yards from where Trump was speaking, grazing his ear with a near-fatal bullet.
The gunman fired at least six rounds, killing Corey Comperatore, a hero former volunteer firefighter and father of two, and seriously wounding David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, before the Secret Service killed him.
Everything we know about the Trump assassination attempt
- 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified as the shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
- Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents.
- The gunman grazed Trump’s ear, killed a 50-year-old retired fire chief, and injured two other rally-goers.
- Investigators detailed Crooks’ search history to lawmakers, revealing that he looked for the dates of Trump’s appearances and the Democratic National Convention.
- Crooks’ search history also revealed a broad interest in high-profile people and celebrities, regardless of their political affiliation, FBI officials reportedly said.
- Trump exclusively recounted surviving the “surreal” assassination attempt with The Post at the rally, remarking, “I’m supposed to be dead.”
- High-profile politicians, including President Biden and Vice President Harris, addressed the nation about the shooting, calling it “a heinous, horrible and cowardly act.”
Investigators later found a pair of homemade bombs fitted with a receiver that appeared to be designed to be set off via remote control in his car parked close to the grounds, along with a ballistic vest and three 30-round magazines in it.
It’s been speculated that he might have wanted to cause more significant carnage at the event.
Police became suspicious of Crooks more than an hour earlier when they saw him milling about the edge of the crowd with a range finder and a backpack, with the Secret Service designating him as a “threat” 10 minutes before Trump took the stage.
Despite being labeled as a “character of suspicion,” the former president was still allowed to speak.
Sources said Crooks was not described as having a gun when the warning went out.
Crooks also allegedly received several packages to his home in recent months marked “hazardous materials,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
Prior to the shooting, Crooks tracked Trump’s movements from as far back as the spring using the internet, a source told The Post Thursday.
Authorities have yet to find any definitive indicators that Crooks’ attempted assassination of the 2024 GOP presidential candidate was motivated by any particular political ideology.
The disturbed young man, a social outcast who reportedly had few friends, may have also been struggling with an undiagnosed mental health condition — potentially depression — which he had researched online.
However, with the killer having virtually no social media or online footprint, investigators have been forced to comb through his devices, including a laptop, two phones and USB drives with a combined 4.5 terabytes of data.
