Federal investigators are examining the possibility that gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks perhaps could have driven to the campaign-rally site six days beforehand, to scope out the area where former President Donald J. Trump was to speak. Federal officials and information provided by the FBI, as reported by The New York Times, show indicate that a cellphone linked to Crooks included geolocation data that indicated that he could have been near the site, the Butler Farm Show grounds, on July 7.
Crooks, 20, opened fire from a warehouse roof at the site on Saturday, July 13, grazing the former president’s right ear, killing a rally attendee and seriously injuring two others. Though there is still scant information about the would-be assassin, some information is starting to emerge. For instance, Crooks told his employer at the nursing home where he worked that he needed to take Saturday off because he had to do something important. Also, in days leading up to the shooting, Crooks visited a gun range, bought a ladder at a Home Depot and purchased ammunition at a nearby gun store, Allegheny Arms and Gun Works. After Secret Service snipers killed Crooks on Saturday, authorities recovered a bulletproof vest and several magazines for the rifle from his car, along with rudimentary explosive devices.