By Steve Neavling
More unsettling details emerged about the enigmatic gunman who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump, raising more questions about how the Secret Service failed to prevent the shooting.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified as a suspicious person an hour before he opened fire at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania, NBC News reports. He had a range finder and backpack with him.
About 30 minutes after the suspicious person report, state police passed on the information to the Secret Service, which in return notified its snipers two minutes later at 5:53 p.m.
Trump took the stage nine minutes later, and at 6:09 p.m., some rallygoers told police that a gunman was on a rooftop less than 500 feet from the former president. At 6:11 p.m., Cooks pulled the trigger, firing about eight shots, according to a New York Times analysis.
Secret Service snipers then killed Crooks.
Meanwhile, the FBI is still trying to determine a motive and have retrieved information from his phone. Crooks had used the phone to search for images of Trump and President Biden, and even searched for dates of Trump appearances and the Democratic National Convention.
But agents have found no evidence yet that the gunman held strong partisan political views.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who admitted her agency made serious “mistakes,” is expected to testify at a House hearing next week.
