Cellphone footage captured the chilling moment when attendees at a Trump rally tried to warn the police about a rooftop gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, who eventually fired shots. The video shows the attendees pointing and shouting to alert authorities about the shooter’s presence just moments before the incident unfolded.
According to reports, Crooks purchased a ladder from Home Depot before the rally and used it to access the roof of a building near the main stage where Trump was speaking. The building from which Crooks fired was designated as a “rally point” for local counter sniper teams, indicating a potential security breach.
Witnesses described seeing Crooks outside the building observing the area before returning, sitting down, and looking at his phone. A sniper spotted Crooks through a rangefinder minutes before the assassination attempt and tried to alert the command post, but shots were fired before action could be taken.
Following the incident, more than a dozen firearms were found at the Crooks family home, with the shooter’s father reporting his AR rifle missing. The rifle used in the shooting was legally purchased and may have belonged to his father, raising questions about how Crooks gained access to the weapon.
Authorities have stated that Crooks acted alone in the assassination attempt but are continuing their investigation. His former classmates at Bethel Park High School described him as a quiet loner who was bullied, shedding light on his potential motives and state of mind leading up to the incident.
