A newly released photo shows a cellphone and a transmitter found next to the body of Thomas Matthew Crooks after his unsuccessful assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday, according to Fox News.
The unsettling image, obtained by Pittsburgh-based WPXI, depicts a gray remote and a smartphone confiscated by law enforcement.
A Secret Service team member fatally shot Crooks after he had wounded the former president’s ear, killed an innocent rally-goer, and injured two others.
Authorities suspect that the remote was linked to an explosive device in Crooks’ car, which failed to detonate.
The situation grows increasingly alarming with each revelation.
Thomas Crooks was found with a transmitter next to his cellphone, and explosives were discovered in his car.
What implications does this hold?
Law enforcement is currently investigating whether the device was intended to cause additional damage at the site or to serve as a distraction during the assassination attempt.
WPXI also reported that local officers photographed Crooks almost 30 minutes before the incident.
Crooks first drew attention after passing through security several hours before Trump took the stage, carrying a rangefinder, which CNN reported is often used by target shooters and hunters to gauge the distance of long-range targets, similar to binoculars.
A local officer encountered Crooks around 5:45 p.m., took a picture of him, and went to alert other officers.
An officer directly confronted Crooks after being lifted onto the roof. When Crooks pointed his rifle at the officer, the officer fell. Moments later, Crooks shot Trump and other rally-goers.
CNN reported that Crooks accessed the roof by climbing onto an air-conditioning unit. He had informed his boss at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center that he wouldn’t be able to work that day because he had “something to do.”
He told his boss he would probably return to work on Sunday, but that plan was thwarted when a Secret Service agent took him down.
Many have criticized the Secret Service for failing to prevent Saturday’s tragic events. The agency and local law enforcement have blamed each other.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stated that local law enforcement was responsible for securing the roof. She also noted that the roof’s angle posed a challenge, claiming its slope was unsafe for agents. Critics argue that the “sloped” roof did not prevent Crooks from shooting Trump and other victims.
Local law enforcement, however, asserted that the Secret Service, due to their higher authority, should have taken the lead in securing the area.