The gunman who opened fire at a rally for former US President Donald Trump on Saturday (13) told his boss he needed the day off because he had “something to do”, according to multiple law enforcement officials.
Thomas Matthew Crooks told his coworkers he would return to work on Sunday.
At 3 p.m. local time Saturday, Thomas Matthew Crooks was in the security screening area for Trump’s rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
He first raised suspicions when he walked past the magnetometers carrying a rangefinder, which looks like a small pair of binoculars and is used by hunters and target shooters to measure distances when preparing a long-range shot, according to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
The rangefinder would not have stopped Crooks from passing through the security checkpoint, but it did attract the attention of security guards, who kept a close eye on him until he left the secure area.
Investigators are not sure where Crooks went after he left the triage area, but the theory is that he went to his car to get the rifle.
Around the same time witnesses alerted police that Crooks was climbing onto the roof, one of four counter-sniper teams observed Crooks watching their position through the rangefinder, according to the senior law enforcement official.
“They were looking at him as he looked at them,” the officer said.
Crooks gained access to the roof by climbing onto the building’s air conditioning system and hoisting himself up, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
What the police discovered after the shooting
After the shooting, multiple law enforcement sources said investigators found a bulletproof vest, three fully loaded magazines and two remotely controlled explosive devices in Crooks’ car.
Investigators are not sure whether Crooks had a plan to use the bulletproof vest, nearly 100 rounds of additional ammunition from those loaded magazines and two remote-controlled bombs in case he had escaped after the shooting.
Additionally, after a search of his residence, investigators discovered another bulletproof vest, another remotely controlled explosive device and a 3D printer, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
Source: CNN Brasil
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