NEWSTrump Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks Hinted at Assassination Attempt Via Online Gaming Platform: Source
Donald Trump's would-be assassin teased his diabolical plan to fellow gamers before shooting at the former president on Saturday, July 13.
During an all-member briefing with U.S. senators on Wednesday, July 17, FBI officials revealed Thomas Matthew Crooks — the 20-year-old who positioned himself on a roof at the former president's rally in Butler, Penn., before opening fire — wrote an alarming message on the popular gaming platform Steam ahead of the shooting, a source spilled to a news publication.
New text messages show the timeline of when authorities were alerted about Thomas Matthew Crooks.
"July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds," Crooks allegedly posted on Steam, "the ultimate destination for playing, discussing and creating games," per their installation site.
In addition to discovering the now-dead shooter's threatening statement on the platform, law enforcement investigators reportedly found various searches from July on Crooks' laptop with the keywords "Trump, Biden, when is DNC convention and July 13 Trump rally," according to the outlet.
The would-be assassin opened fire from a roof at former President Donald Trump's rally in Butler, Penn.
The FBI is still trying to search for a potential motive regarding why the suspect wanted to murder Trump, as no interviews so far have revealed the would-be assassin's potential past discussions of politics.
U.S. senators were also informed that Crooks had two cell phones. His primary one was recovered at the scene with a remote transmitter.
The second cell phone was located at Crooks' home and only had 27 contacts — whom the FBI is allegedly in the process of tracking down and interviewing in hope of some answers.
According to a second news publication, the FBI discovered photos of both President Joe Biden and former President Trump on his phone, as well as images of Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Donald Trump held his fist up in defiance after being shot at by Thomas Matthew Crooks.
No threatening language was found in relation to the photos, however.
In addition to shooting at the ex-prez, Crooks is responsible for the death of Corey Comperatore, an avid Trump supporter who was struck by a bullet and killed during the assassination attempt.
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Two other spectators were shot during the gunfire but survived. Trump only suffered an injury to his right ear — where one of the bullets fired by Crooks grazed, causing the 78-year-old to bleed.
Members of the Secret Service formed a human shield over the former president within seconds of Crooks opening fire before escorting Trump to safety.
Donald Trump was rushed away by Secret Service members after the shooting.
As an act of defiance, Trump stood up after crouching behind the podium upon getting shot at and held his fist in the air while yelling: "Fight, fight, fight!
Blood could be seen smeared across the controversial Republican's face as he addressed the crowd before the Secret Service rushed him to a secure vehicle that transported him to a Pennsylvania hospital.
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