Trump's would-be-assassin scouted venue using drone hours before shooting: report
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is assisted by the Secret Service after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. PHOTO:REUTERS
The gunman who shot former US President Donald Trump in the ear at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday flew a drone over the rally site a few hours before Trump took the stage, NBC News reported.
The camera drone, made by DJI, allowed the 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Crooks, to get an overhead view that may have helped him plan his attack, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.
Trump was shot in the ear during the assassination attempt. Crooks was killed by the Secret Service after the attack at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Crooks used the drone.
The aerial surveillance appears to be another in a series of security failures that allowed the gunman to nearly kill the former president. It is common for the Secret Service to ban drones over areas they are securing, although it is unclear if that happened with the Butler rally.
Investigators have not disclosed how they learned about the drone flight. However, drones often leave electronic traces of their flight paths, and DJI may have had a record of the flight.
A drone and drone equipment were recovered from Crooks' vehicle, according to a senior law enforcement source.
The motive for the attempt to kill Trump remains unknown and is under investigation. The Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General has launched three probes into the Secret Service following the shooting.
One of these probes will examine how the Secret Service secured the political campaign event in Butler.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has also pledged a Congressional investigation. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has been asked to appear before the House Oversight Committee at a hearing on Monday.