Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks was spotted wandering through merch stalls less than two hours before he wounded the ex-president.
Crooks grazed Trump in the right ear as he spoke at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, and killed supporter Corey Comperatore in the crowd.
Trump was shot at 6.11pm by the first of eight bullets Crooks fired from the roof of a nearby building until he was gunned down by a police counter-sniper.
The shooter’s movements were meticulously tracked since the shooting to determine what went wrong, but new video throws the timeline into question.
A salesman for Iron Clad USA inadvertently filmed Crooks casually strolling past his booth outside the rally at 4.26pm.
Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks was spotted wandering through merch stalls less than two hours before he wounded the ex-presiden
Crooks, 20, was filmed as the camera panned from the stall, selling political-themed hats and t-shirts, around the fairground to show how busy it was.
The video showed Crooks in the same grey t-shirt, made by the Demolition Ranch firearms influencer page, and white shorts as he had when he was killed.
However, he had none of the gear he brought to the Butler Farm Show grounds, including the backpack that was found later, along with a bike and rangefinder.
Crooks was spotted by police and Secret Service agents several times before the shooting, but not stopped – a major security lapse that is under investigation.
Group texts between snipers from Beaver, Butler, and Washington County put Crooks in a different location about the same time as the Iron Clad video.
Crooks was filmed as the camera panned from the stall, selling political-themed hats and t-shirts, around the fairground to show how busy it was
Beaver County sniper James Woods finished his shift and spotted someone at a picnic table ‘about 50 yards from the exit’.
He texted the group chat at 4.26am – the same time as the video – to notify the other snipers to keep an eye on him because he looked suspicious.
‘Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars just so you know,’ he wrote.
‘I’m just letting you know because you see me go out with my rifle and put it in my car so he knows you guys are up there.’
More to come.
