Trump assassination attempt: Homeland Security investigates Secret Service handling of rally security

The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general says it has opened up an investigation into the U.S. Secret Service’s handling of security for former President Donald Trump on the day a gunman tried to assassinate him at a Pennsylvania rally.Video above: Get the Facts: Verifying claims made about security at Trump rallyIn a brief notice posted to the inspector general’s website, the agency said the objective of the probe is to “Evaluate the United States Secret Service’s (Secret Service) process for securing former President Trump’s July 13, 2024 campaign event.” What to knowThomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, has been identified as the subject involved in the attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump on Saturday, July 13. The shooter was killed by the Secret Service.The victim killed in the shooting was identified as Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania. The two injured victims are 57-year-old David Dutch, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania.The shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former president. The FBI has assumed the role of the lead federal law enforcement agency in the investigation and has not yet identified a motive for the assassination attempt.The FBI said on Monday that it accessed Crooks’ phone and searched his computer.A threat from Iran prompted moves by the U.S. Secret Service to boostprotection around Donald Trump before Saturday’s attempted assassination.Crooks’ assassination attempt appears unrelated to the Iranian threat.Butler County is located about 46 miles outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.There was no date given for when the investigation was launched. The notice was among a long list of ongoing cases that the inspector general’s office is pursuing.President Joe Biden already had directed an independent review of the security at the rally.The shooting has raised questions about how the gunman was able to climb onto a roof with a clear line of site to the former president, who was injured. FBI accesses shooter’s phone, computer in search for motiveNearly 72 hours after the attempted assassination of Trump, investigators are struck by the lack of leads they’re finding about 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks’ mindset and possible motives for his attack. Even after successfully breaking into Crooks’ phone and searching his computer, scouring his search history and bedroom, and interviewing his family and friends, agents still haven’t found evidence that would suggest political or ideological impetus for the shooting, law enforcement sources told CNN.Video above: Get the Facts: Who was Thomas Matthew CrooksThe FBI on Monday said in a statement that it accessed Crooks’ phone and that investigators conducted “nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement personnel, event attendees, and other witnesses.”However, the FBI did not say what it found on Crooks’ phone or on other materials.A threat from Iran prompted moves by the U.S. Secret Service to boost protection around Trump before Saturday’s attempted assassination of the former president, which appears unrelated to the original threat, according to two U.S. officials.Upon learning of the threat, the Biden administration reached out to senior officials at the Secret Service to make them aware, the officials said, adding it was shared with the lead agent on Trump’s protection detail and the Trump campaign. That prompted the agency to surge resources and assets to protect Trump. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.The investigative steps are part of the FBI’s initial investigation of the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally. Authorities have previously said they believe that Crooks acted alone, and that they have not yet been able to identify a motive for the shooting. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just outside the rally venue before he was killed by Secret Service agents.The shooter’s parents, who have been cooperating with law enforcement since the assassination attempt, have said Crooks did not appear to have friends and did not appear to have any political leanings, the official said.Shooting range, gun store and ladder purchase: Thomas Matthew Crooks’ movements leading up to his attack In the 48 hours before he opened fire on Trump, Crooks made a series of stops in and around his suburban Pittsburgh hometown.On Friday, he went to a shooting range, where he was a member, and practiced firing, a law enforcement official told CNN. The next morning, Crooks went to a Home Depot, where he bought a five-foot ladder, and a gun store, where he purchased 50 rounds of ammunition, the official said.On Saturday, Crooks reportedly told his boss he needed the day off because he had “something to do,” according to multiple law enforcement officials.Crooks told his coworkers he would be back to work on Sunday. By 3 p.m. on Saturday, roughly three hours before the shooting, Crooks was at the security screening area for the rally. He first aroused suspicion when he passed through the magnetometers carrying a rangefinder, which looks similar to a small pair of binoculars and is used by hunters and target shooters to measure distances when setting up a long-range shot, according to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.The rangefinder would not have prevented Crooks from getting through the security screening point, but it did attract the attention of security personnel who kept an eye on him until he left the secure area.Investigators are unsure of where Crooks went after he left the screening area but the working theory is that he went to his car to retrieve the rifle.Around the same time, witnesses alerted police that Crooks was crawling on the roof of the American Glass Research building, one of the four counter-sniper teams observed Crooks looking at their position through the rangefinder, according to the senior law enforcement official.“They were looking at him while he was looking at them,” the official said.Crooks gained access to the rooftop by climbing on top of the building’s air conditioning system and hoisting himself up, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.After the shooting, multiple law enforcement sources said investigators found a bulletproof vest, three fully loaded magazines, and two remote-controlled explosive devices in Crooks’ car.Investigators are uncertain as to whether Crooks had a plan to use the body armor, nearly 100 rounds of additional ammunition from those loaded magazines, and two remote-controlled bombs, had he escaped after the shooting.Additionally, after a search of his residence, investigators discovered another bulletproof vest, another remote-controlled explosive device, and a 3D printer, according to multiple law enforcement sources.In the last several months, Crooks received multiple packages, including some marked as possibly containing hazardous materials, according to a joint FBI and Department of Homeland Security bulletin obtained by CNN. Secret Service faces questions on rally security, rooftop accessWidespread concerns and questions remain about how a sniper was able to obtain rooftop access roughly 150 meters from Trump’s position at the podium at an outdoor rally.Sources have described the shooting as coming from the “three o’clock” position of Trump’s podium location, with shots coming from his right side. Seconds after gunfire rang out, Secret Service counter-assault snipers began shooting the suspect, who was found on top of a roof.Notably, the shooter’s location was outside the security perimeter, raising questions about both the size of the perimeter and efforts to sweep and secure the American Glass Research building, and how the shooter was able to obtain rooftop access.Law enforcement sources say that part of the aftermath will include a review of whether the Secret Service had enough assets to protect Trump days ahead of officially becoming the Republican presidential nominee and whether procedures were followed to conduct security sweeps of the building that offered a vantage point for the alleged shooter. Victim killed was firefighter, died protecting familyCorey Comperatore, a former fire chief who was shot and killed during the Trump rally, is remembered as a hero. Comperatore died while shielding his family from gunfire. That action is something one of his fellow firefighters said was very much his character.”Oh, most definitely. It wouldn’t even surprise me if it was a complete stranger if he did the same exact thing for,” said Craig Cirrincione, the second lieutenant of the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department in Butler County.Video above: Who is Corey Comperatore? Man killed at Trump rally remembered as a heroComperatore was a father, husband, volunteer firefighter, and someone who everyone describes as a truly good man.”He was a real good guy. He really was. You hear stories all the time that it’s always the good ones that end up getting taken out, and unfortunately, that’s what happened,” said Matthew Achilles, who lived near Comperatore. President Joe Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were praying for the family of Comperatore.”He was protecting his family from the bullets,” Biden said. “God love him.”Two victims remain in critical careTwo victims were injured in Saturday’s shooting.David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, are in stable condition, state police said in a news release.Comperatore, who was shot and killed during the attempted assassination, is being remembered as a family man who served his community.Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, directed flags to be flown at half-staff in Comperatore’s memory, and said he spoke to Comperatore’s wife and two daughters Sunday.An avid Trump supporter who was excited to be at the rally, Comperatore dove on his family to protect them from the gunfire, Shapiro said.