Current:Home > reviewsGunman in Trump rally attack flew drone over rally site in advance of event, official says -LegacyBuild Academy
Gunman in Trump rally attack flew drone over rally site in advance of event, official says
View
Date:2025-04-12 00:20:21
WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is believed to have flown a drone around the Pennsylvania rally site ahead of time in an apparent attempt to scope out the site before the event, a law enforcement official said Saturday.
The drone has been recovered by the FBI, which is leading the investigation into last Saturday’s shooting at the rally by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Crooks fired multiple rounds from the roof of a building adjacent to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump was speaking, before being fatally shot by a Secret Service counter sniper. The existence of the device and its use at some point before the shooting could help explain why Crooks knew to fire from the point.
The official who described the drone was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Details of the drone were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Trump said this week that one bullet clipped his right ear. A memo released Saturday by the Trump campaign and authored by Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, who served as the GOP nominee’s White House physician, said that Trump sustained a gunshot wound to the right ear from a high-powered rifle that came “less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear.”
One of the bullets aimed toward Trump killed 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, a spectator who was in the bleachers. Two others were seriously wounded.
The FBI is continuing to investigate what may have motivated Crooks to carry out the attack. So far, officials have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions.
Investigators who searched his phone found photos of Trump, President Joe Biden and other senior government officials, and also found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.
More details about the investigation are expected to be made public in the coming week when FBI Director Chris Wray appears before the House Judiciary Committee.
____
Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.
veryGood! (846)
Related
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Raven-Symoné Mourns Death of Her Dad Christopher B. Pearman
- Sydney Sweeney's Expert Tips to Upgrade Your Guy's Grooming Routine
- DreamWorks Animation at 30: Painting a bright path forward with ‘The Wild Robot’
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Dartmouth College naming center in memory of football coach Teevens
- Attorney says 120 accusers allege sexual misconduct against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
- Sean Diddy Combs Accused of 120 New Sexual Assault Cases
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Man destroys autographed Taylor Swift guitar he won at charity auction
Ranking
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- What is distemper in dogs? Understanding the canine disease, symptoms and causes
- Maryland announces juvenile justice reforms and launch of commission
- Details from New Mexico’s lawsuit against Snap show site failed to act on reports of sextortion
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Pete Rose, MLB's all-time hits leader who earned lifetime ban, dead at 83
- After Helene’s destruction, a mountain town reliant on fall tourism wonders what’s next
- Will anyone hit 74 homers? Even Aaron Judge thinks MLB season record is ‘a little untouchable’
Recommendation
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
Wisconsin Democrats, Republicans pick new presidential electors following 2020 fake electors debacle
Why was Pete Rose banned for life from MLB? Gambling on games was his downfall
Nearly $32 million awarded for a large-scale solar project in Arkansas
Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
What are enzymes, and what do they have to do with digestion?
How social media is helping locate the missing after Helene | The Excerpt
Frank Fritz, the 'bearded charmer' of 'American Pickers,' dies 2 years after stroke