A remote detonator was found on would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks' body, along with his cellphone, after Secret Service snipers shot him dead at a Donald Trump on Saturday. An image first released by Pittsburgh's WPXI showed the detonator, a rectangular gray device with a keypad resembling a television remote control, next to the gunman's cellphone.
Earlier reports indicated that FBI agents investigating the case found explosive materials, ammunition, and a bulletproof vest inside the troubled 20-year-old's car. According to CNN, the bombs were connected to the detonator. Crooks caught the attention of security at the rally in Butler, 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, shortly after arriving around 3:00 p.m.
Came Dangerously Armed
Crooks was behaving strangely near the metal detectors at least an hour before the assassination attempt and was later seen using a range finder. The gunfire erupted at 6:11 p.m., with Trump having taken the stage at 6:03 p.m., an hour later than scheduled, the Daily Mail reported.
Four days after the incident, law enforcement has not commented on what they believe Crooks' plans were post-shooting. The Secret Service is under increasing scrutiny for failing to secure the event.
Nicole Ford of Channel 11, who obtained the exclusive photo, said that law enforcement agents spotted Crooks outside the single-story AGR International building from which he shot the former President, according to the Daily Mail.
This development comes as Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle faces new questions after local law enforcement officials directly contradicted her statement that a Beaver County sniper team was stationed in the building from which Trump was shot.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the shooter infiltrated the rally's security zone three hours before the attack, after driving 50 miles north from his home in Bethel Park, located on Pittsburgh's southern outskirts.
At 3:00 p.m., Crooks set off a metal detector while trying to enter the site and was found carrying a rangefinder, a device typically used by hunters and marksmen to prepare for long-distance shots.
Security officers allowed Crooks to enter the secure area, keeping an eye on him until he left a short time later, according to an official. He remained undetected until just before 5:45 p.m. when an officer from the Beaver County Police Department noticed him acting suspiciously near the outer perimeter and took a photograph.
On Monday, it was claimed that a police sniper team was stationed in the AGR International building and that they saw Crooks outside three times in the minutes leading up to the attack.
A law enforcement official told CBS that no action was taken when one of the snipers first noticed Crooks looking up at the building's roof, according to the Daily mail report.
Crooks disappeared around a corner but was seen again, sitting down and looking at his phone, prompting a sniper to take his picture. The sniper then radioed the command post after seeing Crooks take out his rangefinder.
No Action Taken by Law Enforcement
No further action was taken before Crooks reappeared a third time, now wearing a backpack, and disappeared from sight as he walked to the back of the building. A subsequent radio report was submitted by the sniper team, who did not realize that Crooks was scaling their building.
Channel 11 reported on Tuesday that multiple sources confirmed Crooks was on the roof with a gun for less than seven minutes before being confronted by a Butler Township police officer.
The officer retreated after Crooks pointed his AR-style weapon at him, allowing Crooks to freely aim at his target.
Investigators are still trying to determine Crooks' motive, who had a minimal social media presence, and hope his phone may provide some clues.
It was revealed on Tuesday that after the shooting, authorities found a bulletproof vest, three fully-loaded magazines with about 100 bullets, and two remote-controlled explosive devices in Crooks' car.
Another bulletproof vest and a third remote-controlled bomb were later found at the house he shared with his parents.
The discovery of a transmitter with him has raised concerns that Crooks might have planned to continue his killing spree if he had survived the roof encounter, and possibly had an accomplice.
Earlier that day, Crooks had asked his boss for time off, saying he had "something to do," before traveling to the rally.
He told colleagues at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center that he would see them on Sunday.
However, a Secret Service agent at the Butler rally ensured he would be the last person Crooks saw, locking eyes with the killer before shooting him dead, as graphic video footage has revealed.
Agents had him in their sights, and one fired the trigger seconds after the 20-year-old killed Pennsylvania fire chief Corey Comperatore, critically injured two others, and grazed Trump's right ear from a distance of 147 yards.
"They were looking at him while he was looking at them," a senior federal law enforcement official told CNN.
Video footage shows Crooks intently peering through the sights of his father's AR-style weapon and firing towards the rally as onlookers scream from the base of the building.
Immediately, a second volley of shots is heard, and Crooks is seen lying dead on the roof as people on the ground gasp in horror.
