The shooter in attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is alleged to have flown a drone over the rally site in Pennsylvania prematurely, apparently to scout the placement before the event, a police official said on Saturday.
The drone was recovered by the FBI, which is leading the investigation into the shooting on the rally last Saturday. 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Crooks fired several shots from the roof of a constructing adjoining to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump was speaking, before being fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper. The existence of the device and its use sometime before the shooting may explain why Crooks knew to fireside from that time.
The official who described the drone was not authorized to debate the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Details concerning the drone were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Trump said this week that a bullet struck his right ear. A memo released by Trump’s campaign on Saturday, written by Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, who served because the Republican nominee’s White House physician, said Trump suffered a gunshot wound to the fitting ear from a high-powered rifle that “came less than a quarter of an inch from his head and struck the tip of his right ear.”
One of the bullets geared toward Trump killed 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatorea spectator who was within the stands. Two others were seriously injured.
The FBI continues to analyze what might need motivated Crooks to perform the attack. So far, officials haven’t been capable of find any ideological motives that would explain his actions.
Investigators who searched his phone found photos of TrumpPresident Joe Biden and other senior administration officials, and likewise noted that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Convention and Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information on the Severe Depression Order.
More details concerning the investigation are expected to be released next week when FBI Director Chris Wray appears before the House Judiciary Committee.
