Iowa Sen. Grassley posts video of aftermath of Trump shooter’s killing
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley on Tuesday posted video that showed the aftermath of the killing of Trump shooter Thomas Crooks, with law enforcement agents on a rooftop alongside his body.
Grassley on X demanded answers and accountability following the July 13 assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump as he spoke at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was shot in the ear.
Crooks was shot and killed after firing at Trump. Crooks shot and killed one other person and wounded two others when he opened fire at the event.
The body camera video posted by Grassley, R-Iowa, shows Crooks’ body on the roof of the building from where he fired. The video also showed blood by the shooter’s body.
“We NEED detailed answers ASAP on security failures,” Grassley wrote on X. “TRANSPARENCY BRINGS ACCOUNTABILITY.”
In the video, someone in a black suit and sunglasses speaks with law enforcement officers armed with rifles and wearing body armor following the shooting and Crooks’ subsequent killing.
An officer points out a rifle lying on the roof, though it is not clear whether it is Crooks’.
The officer whose body camera is recording mentions that a sniper had seen a person coming from a bike and setting a backpack down, but lost sight of him. It is not clear in the video if the officer is talking about Crooks.
Grassley wrote that the video was obtained from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit after requests from Congress. The Beaver County Sheriff’s Office has an unit by that name, which is a tactical team that responds to high-risk incidents.
The U.S. Secret Service and Beaver County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night.
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Congress have demanded answers about how Crooks was able to open fire at a former president, and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General said it has opened three reviews surrounding the incident.
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday. She wrote in a resignation letter that she takes “full responsibility for the security lapse.”
Crooks’ motive has not been determined.
Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris, who heads the agency, told a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Tuesday that Crooks had been identified as suspicious before the shooting.
Crooks had been spotted “milling about and he stood out to them because he never made his way to a point of ingress to the venue,” meaning Crooks was milling about but not trying to enter, and that Crooks was later seen with a range finder.
Paris said the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, tasked with securing the building where Crooks fired from, relayed the suspicion and a photo of Crooks to the state police, which then passed along the message to the Secret Service.
Crooks was not designated as an actual threat until seconds before he opened fire, Paris said.
Trump, now the official Republican nominee for president, plans to no longer hold outdoor rallies following the assassination attempt, according to two sources familiar with his campaign’s operations. The current plans are for those events to be held indoors instead, they said.
