Report: Crooks Was Spotted By Law Enforcement Nearly 30 Minutes Before Attempted Trump Assassination

Would be assassin Thomas Crooks, 20,  was reportedly spotted by law enforcement nearly 30 minutes before he began firing shots at former President Donald Trump at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday.

According to WPXI sources, Beaver County’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) team had eight members at the rally, including snipers and spotters. One of them reportedly “noticed a suspicious man on a roof near the rally at 5:45 p.m.,” and called it in.  The officer took a picture of the subject and that person was confirmed to be Thomas Crooks.

Prior to 5:45 p.m., a  law enforcement officer had previously noticed Crooks on the grounds and called him in as a suspicious person, along  with a picture.

Sources told WPXI that “an officer checked the grounds for Crooks at that point, but did not see him where the first picture was taken.”

About 26 minutes after the second picture of Crooks was taken by law enforcement,  shots were fired from the roof of the American Glass Research building, according to WPXI. Seconds later, a Secret Service sniper returned fire and killed Crooks.

CBS News reported Monday night that there were “three snipers stationed INSIDE the building” the gunman scaled.

“One of the snipers inside saw Crooks outside looking up at the roof observing the building and then disappeared,” according to local law enforcement with direct knowledge.

Then Crooks came back, sat down and was looking on his phone and at that point one of the snipers took a picture of him.

Then Crooks took out a range finder and the sniper radio-ed to the command post. Crooks disappeared again and then came back a third time with a backpack. The snipers called in with information that he had a backpack and said he was walking towards the back of the building.

Officers believe that Crooks might have used an air conditioning unit to get on top of the roof.

By the time other officers came for backup he had climbed on top of the building and was positioned above and behind the snipers inside the building.

Two other officers who heard the sniper’s call came and tried to get onto the roof.

State police started rushing to the scene. But that time a secret service sniper had already killed Crooks, according to the law enforcement officer.

It now appears likely that the Secret Service and law enforcement were well aware that an assassin was on top of the building and poised to shoot the 2024 election Republican frontrunner.

House Republicans have launched an investigation into the near assassination of Trump. Chief among their questions must be who gave them the order to stand down until the shooting started?

The FBI reportedly “gained access” into Crooks’ phone on Monday and are “analyzing” its contents.