Father of Trump gunman called police about son before attack
The father of the gunman who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump contacted the police before the Saturday shooting due to concerns about his son, according to media reports.
This call is among several red flags that law enforcement was alerted to before the gunshots rang out at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. The US Secret Service, in particular, has faced increasing scrutiny over security measures, with some lawmakers calling for the resignation of the agency’s head.
Matthew Crooks’ father contacted the police out of worry for his son’s well-being and whereabouts, a law enforcement source told CBS, BBC’s news partner. The exact timing of the call is unclear, but it was made before the shooting.
It is also unclear what specific information Crooks’ father relayed to the police. Fox News reported that Crooks’ parents, Mary and Matthew, told officers they were worried about their son and that he had disappeared without any advance notice.
The FBI has stated that both parents are cooperating with the investigation.
Law enforcement sources informed US media that the gunman had conducted online searches related to major depressive disorder and the Democratic National Convention scheduled for August. He had also saved images of Trump, President Joe Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Chris Wray, and a member of the British Royal Family, according to reports from the Washington Post and the Associated Press.
Investigators are still working to determine a potential motive for the 20-year-old gunman, who was shot dead by Secret Service snipers after opening fire. His attack resulted in one audience member’s death and several others wounded.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that Crooks climbed onto the roof of a nearby building outside the rally by scaling an air conditioning unit. These units were situated next to the building, an unnamed official told CBS.
A counter sniper flagged a suspicious man using a rangefinder to the US Secret Service some 20 minutes before the attack started, according to members of Congress briefed by law enforcement this week.
A rangefinder is an instrument that can be used to help measure the distance to a target.
Local police initially spotted the gunman, who was acting strangely and had a backpack, about an hour before the shooting. They lost him in the crowd, but he was spotted again by the sniper.
Officers were alerted by radio about a suspicious person and searched the area where Crooks had perched his rifle on a rooftop.
Finding no one, one officer decided to check the roof. The officer was hoisted on to the roof by a colleague and came face-to-face with the suspect, Butler Township Manager Tom Knights told CBS.
The suspect pointed a rifle at him and the officer, who was in a “defenceless” position, let go from the roof and fell to the ground.
He then alerted others to the gunman. Moments later, the shooting started.
No weapon was spotted by law enforcement when Crooks was seen in the crowd and officials are trying to determine how no one saw his AR-style rifle.
Investigators are examining various theories, including that he had stashed it earlier in the day near the air conditioning units or that he was somehow able to smuggle it inside his backpack.
Retracing his footsteps in the hours before the attack will be key to understanding how the shooting unfolded, officials say.
Officials told CBS that the semi-automatic rifle he used had been legally purchased by Crook’s father in 2013.
When the gunman was found, he was carrying a remote detonator and his car contained explosives, law enforcement sources have told US media.
It continues to remain unclear what motivated the attack, and whether any political ideology is to blame.
