(RepublicanReport.org) – On July 13, Thomas Matthew Crooks allegedly climbed onto a rooftop at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and fired off some shots from his father’s AR-15-style rifle into the crowd. Former President Donald Trump sustained an ear wound, one bystander was killed, and two others received critical injuries.
Shortly afterward, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) issued a preliminary findings report regarding the incident, detailing what was known and asking questions of the Secret Service. He called on Attorney General Merrick Garland, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and FBI Director Christopher Wray to preserve all information about the events that transpired and the suspect. He slammed the departments for their apparent lack of transparency thus far. The accounts in the letter indicate that the Secret Service knew about the shooter shortly before.
The preliminary findings said there was a briefing that morning in Butler for the local sniper units and SWAT team from several counties covering the event, but attendees said nobody from the Secret Service or any other federal law agency attended.
At 5:10 p.m., an Active Guard Reserve (AGR) sniper reportedly observed Crooks and took a photograph of him four minutes later. At 5:32 p.m., the sniper saw Crooks on his phone and carrying a rangefinder, so he sent a message to the Sniper Group six minutes later about the suspect. He then called the Butler Emergency Service Unit Command and sent them photos of Crooks.
At 5:51 p.m., the Secret Service was reportedly notified about Crooks. At 6:03 p.m., Trump took the stage. Two minutes later, AGR sniper one located the suspect, shared his location, and noted the direction the sniper was moving. One to seven minutes later, the sniper alerted local law enforcement. At about 6:11 p.m., the suspect started shooting.
In addition to a slew of other questions, officials want to know why the former president was even allowed to speak if the authorities knew about Crooks beforehand. The matter is still under investigation.
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