In a shocking revelation, it has been reported that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, had purchased 50 rounds of ammunition mere hours before the incident.
This information, coupled with the fact that the Secret Service failed to conduct a sweep of the rooftop from where Crooks launched his attack, has raised serious questions about the security measures in place.
As reported by the Daily Mail, these alarming details have emerged amidst growing scrutiny of the Secret Service's handling of the incident. The 20-year-old assailant was able to get within a mere 130 yards of the former president during his speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, last Saturday. Crooks managed to shoot Trump in the ear using an AR-style rifle, a weapon legally purchased by his father.
A video that surfaced on Monday shows supporters of Trump pointing and questioning the presence of Crooks on the rooftop. Multiple witnesses have claimed that they alerted law enforcement about a potential gunman on the building, but their warnings went unheeded until the shooting commenced. "Look, they're all pointing," a voice behind the camera can be heard saying, as the lens moves from the stage to the rooftop where a figure is seen crawling. "Yeah someone's on top of the roof look."
The rooftop, which had been identified as a potential security risk, was swept by local law enforcement, not the Secret Service. Despite being hit by a bullet in the ear, Trump's campaign has assured that he is 'fine.' A quick turn of his head to glance at the jumbotron displaying immigration statistics may have saved his life, as per his aides and bullet trajectory analyses.
The attack claimed the life of former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, who was shielding his wife and two daughters. Two other Pennsylvania natives, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, sustained critical injuries but are now listed as 'stable.'
A video showing a new angle of the shooter moments before he opened fire reads on screen, "Plenty of time and opportunity to eliminate the threat," raising further questions about the security lapse that allowed for the assassination attempt. "There he is, right there. See him?" the cameraman says, pointing to the figure of Crooks laying on his side atop the building in the video obtained by deaf North Carolina-based journalist Annie Dance.
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