Shocking new footage shows local cops and a Secret Service agent standing over the dead body of would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks as they appeared to confirm the 20-year sniper was identified as a suspicious person before he opened fire.
The bodycam video, released by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, shows Crooks’ lifeless body as a pool of blood trails along the roof where he wounded Trump and killed a hero firefighter earlier this month during a Pennsylvania rally.
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One man, who appears to be a Secret Service agent, tells a Beaver County Emergency Service Unit officer that Crooks’ body appeared to be the suspicious person who was previously reported to them.
“So this is the guy,” the agent says.
“This is him,” the Beaver County emergency services unit officer replies.
The emergency services officer also says a police sniper took photos of Crooks, including of him on a bicycle, according to the footage.
“That’s the sniper that sent the original picture and seen him come from the bike and set the book bag down and then lost sight of him,” the officer tells the apparent Secret Service agent.
The two law enforcement officials then scroll through photos of the suspicious target on an iPhone.
Everything we know about the Trump assassination attempt
- 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified as the shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
- Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents.
- The gunman grazed Trump’s ear, killed a 50-year-old retired fire chief, and injured two other rally-goers.
- Investigators detailed Crooks’ search history to lawmakers, revealing that he looked for the dates of Trump’s appearances and the Democratic National Convention.
- Crooks’ search history also revealed a broad interest in high-profile people and celebrities, regardless of their political affiliation, FBI officials reportedly said.
- Trump exclusively recounted surviving the “surreal” assassination attempt with The Post at the rally, remarking, “I’m supposed to be dead.”
- High-profile politicians, including President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed the nation about the shooting, calling it “a heinous, horrible and cowardly act.”
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Crooks’ gunfire grazed Trump’s ear and hit three rally-goers, killing 50-year-old volunteer firefighter and married father of two Corey Comperatore.
The gunman was quickly shot and killed by a Secret Service agent.
Law enforcement sources previously told The Post the Secret Service was warned about Crooks and even labeled him a “threat” 10 minutes before the rally, but allowed Trump to get on stage anyway.
The feds were also warned that there was a “character of suspicion” on the grounds more than an hour before shots rang out, sources said. But he was not described as having a gun when the warning went out, according to sources.
Grassley, a Republican, called on the Secret Service to release more information to the public as the federal law enforcement agency faces fierce criticism over security failures at Trump’s Pennsylvania campaign rally.
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“Federal agencies, particularly the Secret Service, have failed to be transparent with the American people,” Grassley said in a statement.
“This assassination attempt is a matter of substantial public interest, and the public’s business ought to be public.”
Grassley released the video the same day Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down following pressure from lawmakers.
Here’s the latest on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump:
- Trump reveals what Biden told him on call after assassination attempt — says he refused to be put on a stretcher
- Attempted Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks’ ‘pathway to violence’ explained
- Florida man arrested for ‘written threats to kill’ Trump, Vance days after assassination attempt
- Secret Service honchos denied Trump additional security for 2 years before assassination attempt: damning revelation
The Iowa senator also included a letter he wrote to the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, demanding answers to outstanding questions about their “catastrophic failure” on July 13.
In the letter, Grassley said he received intelligence that the Secret Service had joint jurisdiction with local police over the AGR International building where Crooks was perched on.
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The Secret Service had previously claimed they were only in charge of the rally grounds, and that local police were in charge of securing AGR.
Grassley included an unconfirmed map that showed different state law enforcement sectors the rally grounds had been broken into, but the AGR building is not included in any sectors.
“Is this document accurate?” the lawmaker asked in the letter.
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Grassley also included a law enforcement contact information sheet from the event, which noted that there was a “UAS” operator — an Unmanned Aerial System, better known as a drone — available during the event.
“Did the USSS, local, or state law enforcement deploy UASs or counter UASs for the July 13, 2024 rally?” Grassley asked, noting reports that Crooks had deployed a drone of his own to case out the rally grounds before the shooting.
Law enforcement personnel on the rooftop video also mention a drone at one point.
He also pressed the Secret Service to answer questions about whether the water tower set back from the AGR grounds — which overlooked the entire AGR campus and may have had a clear view of Trump’s stage — played any part in the events of the day.
“Was the water tower cleared in advance of the rally?” Grassley asked, “Did the water tower have any role in the events at the Trump rally?”