BUTLER, Pa. – The man who attempted to assassinate former President Trump and successfully killed one of his supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania, scoped out the sight of the July 13 rally while local law enforcement officers were in position.
A detailed timeline and accompanying text messages, obtained by Fox News Digital from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who obtained them from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit (ESU), provided additional details that led to Thomas Matthew Crooks’ successfully setting up his AR-styled rifle and opening fire.
According to a timeline released by the Beaver County ESU, local law enforcement officers were in their pre-determined places at 10:15 a.m. and local snipers were in place by 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 13.
Images of the Beaver County ESU showed the sniper’s positioning among the buildings at the Butler Farm Show grounds.
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A photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks that local law enforcement circulated the day of the shooting, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
A map detailing the locations of interest pertaining to the investigation of Thomas Crooks’ attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Provided by Senator Chuck Grassley )
Emerging details of Crooks’ whereabouts prior to the shooting placed the 20-year-old surveying the scene at the same time local law enforcement officers and local snipers were in position.
The FBI previously revealed that Crooks, at 11 a.m. on July 13, had driven to the rally site and spent an hour there before heading home.
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A Beaver or Butler County sniper position is in place at the rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. The former president was shot in an assassination attempt at the rally. (Provided by Senator Chuck Grassley )
Crooks did not return to the scene until 3:50 p.m. Local law enforcement officers, in their designated positions, spotted him for the first time around 5:10 p.m. — approximately 50 minutes before Trump took the stage, according to documents provided by Grassley’s office.
On his return to the rally site, Crooks flew a drone about 200 yards away from where Trump was going to be speaking, according to the FBI.
The FBI later said that no photos or videos were taken from the drone and that the agency found no memory card in the drone.
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An evidence photo shows the bicycle and backpack left by Thomas Crooks before his attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Provided by Senator Chuck Grassley )
At 5:30 p.m., local law enforcement snapped a picture of Crooks and escalated it to command.
“Kid learning around building we are in,” an officer wrote in a text message, along with an image of Crooks. “AGR I believe it is. I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out.”
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“I lost sight of him,” the officer added.
Law enforcement circulated a picture of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the texts showed. (Fox News)
A follow-up message said: “Call it in to command and have a uniform check it out.”
By 6:12 p.m., the “kid” would be killed by a counter-sniper after he opened fired on the rallygoers.
Trump was grazed by a bullet on his ear, while three rallygoers were also shot, including Corey Comperatore, 50, who was killed protecting his family from danger.
James Copenhaver and David Dutch were shot and injured at the rally by Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13. (Allegheny Health Network)
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David Dutch and James Copenhaver were injured after being shot at the rally. They have both since returned home.
