Extraordinary new images and video obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com show just how incredibly close Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks came to his target.
Crooks, 20, nearly killed President Trump on Saturday as the former president addressed supporters during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Chillingly, some images show a ladder, hidden by dense bushes, leaning against the side of the AGR building, leading directly to the roof, where witnesses later told law enforcement they saw Crooks climb.
In the days since, the Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny for what has been described as its most shocking security failure in decades.
Now, these moving images highlight the handful of metres, barely 150, that stood between the former president and his possible assassin.
Crooks had parked his vehicle near the rally site in Butler on Saturday before climbing onto the roof of a nearby industrial manufacturing building.
Bullets fired from the roof of a manufacturing building, right, toward the rally, seen on the left, show how close Crooks had managed to get to the former president.
Chillingly, some images show a staircase, hidden by dense bushes, leaning against the side of the AGR building, leading directly to the roof.
Federal agents could be seen inspecting the staircase, which would be virtually invisible from the ground.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, seen here in a 2021 photo, was identified by the FBI as the shooter involved in the attempted murder.
From his elevated position, almost as close to the president as the Secret Service snipers who were there to protect him, Crooks had a clear, unobstructed line of fire and, armed with his father’s AR-15 rifle, he fired.
A fortuitous turn of Trump’s head, not the snipers’ quick response, was the difference between a low shot from Crooks’ bullet and a fatal shot.
The debris from the abandoned rally was clearly visible at the Butler Fairgrounds yesterday.
Overturned chairs and a field of trash stretched beneath a massive American flag, strung between two cranes high above the stage where Trump spoke.
Police cars lined the perimeter of the fairgrounds with large stretches of highway closed to traffic as law enforcement investigated the scene of what was the most serious attempt to kill a president since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old father of two and volunteer fire chief, has been named as the audience member who died trying to protect his family from gunfire that erupted Saturday afternoon.
Two other spectators who were hit by the impact, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were in stable condition Sunday.
A fortuitous turn of Trump’s head, not the quick response of those snipers, is what made the difference between a grazing glimpse of the bullet Crooks fired and a fatal shot.
A casual turn of Trump’s head, seen here moments after the incident, not the quick response of those snipers, is what made the difference between a grazing glimpse of the bullet Crooks fired and a fatal shot.
Crooks was killed by the USSS seconds after opening fire on the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
About an hour from the rally site, at Crook’s family home in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, there is a similar scene: a gated neighborhood with police vehicles and fire trucks blocking roads, closed to all but residents within a three-block radius.
Nearby neighbors were asked to leave their homes as explosives and other items were reportedly removed from both Crooks’ truck and his family home.
The alleged killer was a registered Republican and a 2022 high school graduate.
Records show Crooks donated on Inauguration Day 2020 to a progressive group supporting President Joe Biden.
Images of Crooks wearing glasses, braces and an American flag T-shirt appeared in a yearbook portrait on Sunday morning.
Bethel Park police officers talk outside Crooks’ home Monday morning after the weekend shooting.
The Bethel Park School District, where Crooks was a student until two years ago, verified his high school graduation and is cooperating with investigators.
Disturbing anecdotes have since emerged from those who knew Crooks from his days at school.
Crooks tried out for the school’s shooting team but was rejected because he was a poor shot, said Frederick Mach, a current team captain who was a few years behind Crooks in school.
Jonathan Myers, a crew member at the time Crooks auditioned, said there was something sinister about him back then.
Members of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team work near the building where Crooks was shot and killed by police.
Police vehicles were lined up around the perimeter of the fairgrounds and large sections of the highway were closed to traffic as law enforcement investigated the scene.
Crooks was a nutritional assistant at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where she provided food and care to elderly and post-hospitalized patients.
His employer confirmed Sunday that he had no criminal record and “performed his job without concern” before attempting to kill Trump.
Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to attack Trump.
Leading Republicans and Democrats have demanded an urgent investigation into the shooting, suggesting that routine checks would have eliminated any threats.
In a damning statement Saturday night, FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said it was “astonishing” that Crooks managed to fire so many shots.