The U.S. Secret Service and FBI are investigating a video recorded by James Copenhaver, a victim wounded in an assassination attempt against former President Trump. The video shows a figure moving across the roof of the building from which the gunman, Thomas Crooks, shot at the former president. Crooks killed one person and wounded two others in the attempt before being killed by counter snipers. The Secret Service and FBI are working to understand the events leading up to the assassination attempt and are committed to ensuring it never happens again. Law enforcement officials are piecing together a timeline to determine how Crooks was able to carry out the attack.
The video shared by Copenhaver was taken at 6:08 p.m. on July 13, just minutes before Crooks fired at least eight gunshots at 6:11 p.m. Trump was unharmed, but a bullet sliced his ear when he turned to look at a screen displaying immigration statistics. The Secret Service and FBI are cooperating with Congress and other relevant investigations to uncover more details about the incident. Law enforcement officials have been focusing on Crooks’ movements leading up to the shooting, including how he gained access to the roof of the building and his actions in the hours and days before the attempted assassination.
Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office released text messages indicating that law enforcement was aware of a suspicious person near the rally site approximately 90 minutes before the shooting began. Photos of Crooks were taken around 4:36 p.m. on the day of the incident. FBI officials have revealed that Crooks climbed HVAC equipment and piping to gain access to the roof of the building where he positioned himself for the attack. They also disclosed that Crooks researched the distance between Lee Harvey Oswald and President John F. Kennedy at the time of Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, indicating premeditation on Crooks’ part.
Days before the attack, Crooks conducted research on the assassination of President Kennedy and visited the rally site, spending time in the area. On the day of the rally, he flew a drone near the location where Trump would be speaking and was present at the site for about 70 minutes in the morning of the attempted assassination. The FBI and Secret Service are continuing to investigate the events leading up to the attack to understand how Crooks was able to carry out his plan. The agencies are working to ensure the safety of political figures and prevent similar incidents in the future.
The assassination attempt has raised concerns about political divisions in the U.S., with victim James Copenhaver expressing sadness over the state of affairs in the country. Law enforcement officials are working diligently to piece together the timeline of events and understand how Crooks was able to carry out his attack. The cooperation between the Secret Service, FBI, and Congress will be crucial in shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the attempted assassination and implementing measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Fox News reporters CB Cotton and Seth Andrews have contributed to the reporting on this ongoing investigation.
