New Report Reveals How Trump Shooter Got AR-15 Past Rally Security

Tensions flared at the Republican National Convention last night as a group of GOP senators confronted US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, demanding answers about the security lapses at Saturday’s rally.

20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks managed to bring a concealed weapon to the rally and was not apprehended until he was spotted by agents on the roof, weapon in hand. As the investigation unfolds, the motive behind Crooks’ drastic action remains a mystery.

According to a Secret Service source, Crooks had stashed the weapon somewhere before the event, although it was not immediately clear where. By the time agents caught sight of him, he was already on the roof with the weapon in hand.

“We went from golf range finder to AR-15, and now we have to fill in the gap,” a source told Fox News. Authorities said Thursday that when they first spotted Crooks with a golf range finder on Saturday, he was labeled as a “person of interest” but not considered a “threat.”

Range finders, which were not prohibited at rally events at the time, are now under scrutiny as authorities consider revising the list of banned items. It wasn’t until Crooks was observed wielding a weapon that he was deemed an official threat.

The Secret Service reported that four counter-sniper teams were deployed at the rally—two from their own agency and two provided by local law enforcement. Of these, one local team and one federal team engaged the gunman. A federal sharpshooter neutralized the threat, fatally striking Crooks seconds after he opened fire. In the aftermath, there has been considerable debate among authorities over who was responsible for securing the AGR building, the location from where Crooks launched his attack.

The FBI has said it’s uncovered proof that the shooter left an ominous warning about his plans just hours earlier. Crooks, who fired eight rounds at Trump before being shot and killed, wrote an open message to other players on a video game platform known as “Steam” on July 13th, shortly before he opened fire, according to Fox News. “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” Crooks allegedly wrote, authorities confirmed.

Since the shooting, the FBI has said it obtained access to Crooks’ phone and laptop where agents may have located the evidence of his online statement. “Steam” is a virtual store where users can communicate with one another. Search history obtained from the laptop shows Crooks was seeking out information about both the Republican and Democratic national conventions before he struck out for Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Senators who were briefed on the investigation said that a political ideology has still not been ascribed to Crooks, an unusual development given the historical precedent of shooters targeting U.S. presidents over political beliefs. Instead, former classmates say, Crooks appeared agnostic to both major parties and critical of the options America faces for leaders today. His household held an array of identities; Crooks was a registered Republican, but his father is a libertarian and his mother is a Democrat. Others have noted that Crooks most recently made a small donation to a progressive advocacy group supporting President Joe Biden.

Tonight, Trump will officially accept the GOP presidential nomination and deliver his speech at the RNC.

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