A chilling new video has emerged that shows Donald Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, wandering through the merchandise stalls less than two hours before he wounded the former president. Crooks grazed Trump's right ear while he was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, and fatally shot supporter Corey Comperatore in the crowd.
Trump was shot at 6:11 p.m. by the first of eight bullets Crooks fired from the roof of a nearby building before being taken down by a police counter-sniper. The video of Crooks walking around the Pennsylvania rally once again shows the major security lapse that allowed the would-be assassin to fire at Trump.
Complete Security Lapse
An Iron Clad USA salesman inadvertently captured Crooks casually walking by his booth outside the rally at 4:26 p.m. This coincided precisely with the moment a local police sniper texted his colleagues, reporting that he had spotted a man, believed to be Crooks, sitting at a nearby picnic table.
The shooter's actions have been carefully traced since the incident to identify any lapses, but new footage has raised doubts about the timeline.
Crooks, 20, was filmed as the camera panned from a stall selling political-themed hats and t-shirts, showing the bustling fairground.
The footage revealed Crooks wearing the same gray t-shirt, from the Demolition Ranch firearms influencer page, and white shorts that he had on when he was killed.
However, he wasn't carrying any of the equipment he brought to the Butler Farm Show grounds, including the backpack, bike, and rangefinder that were later found.
Police and Secret Service agents spotted Crooks several times before the shooting but didn't stop him—a significant security failure now under investigation.
Group texts between snipers from Beaver, Butler, and Washington County placed Crooks in a different location around the same time as the Iron Clad video.
Major Flaws in Timeline
Beaver County sniper James Woods ended his shift and noticed someone sitting at a picnic table "about 50 yards from the exit." At 4:26 p.m.—the exact time the video was recorded—he texted the group chat, advising the other snipers to watch the suspect, as he appeared 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."
The person Woods saw is widely believed to be Crooks, though the exact location of the picnic table remains unclear.
It's also unclear how long Woods waited before sending the group text after spotting him, or where Crooks was at that moment.
Woods was positioned on the second floor of the American Glass Research building, alongside fellow Beaver County sniper Greg Nicol, right next to the roof from which Crooks later fired.
