Trump assassination attempt: FBI says gunman climbed HVAC, traversed rooftops to shooting perch

The FBI on Monday morning told reporters that would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks accessed the roof of a building near former President Trump's July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by climbing up HVAC equipment and piping.

Crooks then traversed multiple rooftops before he found his shooting position on top of a building owned by American Glass Research (AGR), located near the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds about 150 yards from where the former president spoke at his rally.

The FBI hosted a press conference call with reporters more than two weeks after 20-year-old Crooks fired at Trump with a DPMS AR-15-style firearm with a collapsable stock during the rally in an assassination attempt that nicked the president's ear but left one man dead and two others hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

While investigators determined that Crooks did purchase a ladder just hours prior to the assassination attempt, he left it at his residence in Bethel Park and did not use the ladder at the rally later on.

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Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge at the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, said the agency has examined more than 2,100 tips related to the assassination attempt since July 13.

Leading up to the shooting, Crooks apparently conducted internet searches for current and former presidents. 

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The Trump campaign announced the Butler rally on July 3, and three days later, Crooks signed up for the event. That same day — July 6 — he researched how far Lee Henry Oswald was from the late President John F. Kennedy when Oswald assassinated the former president in 1963. On July 7, he traveled to the rally site and spent approximately 20 minutes in the area, Rojek said.

Crooks' interest in firearms began around 2023, when he began taking shooting lessons. He made 25 online firearms purchases using an alias in the spring of 2023. 

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"Throughout the first half of 2024, a subject made six chemical precursor related purchases online of materials used to create the explosive devices recovered in the subject's vehicle and home. And again for those purchases, he used aliases," Rojek said.

Crook's father legally purchased the AR-15-style rifle Crooks used at the rally, and he legally transferred it to his son. He also legally purchased 50 rounds of ammunition from a local gun store on the morning of the rally, according to the FBI. 

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On the day of the rally, Crooks parked his vehicle and flew a drone between about 3:50 p.m. and 4 p.m. about 200 yards from where the former president would be speaking on July 13. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified during a July 17 congressional hearing that Crooks had been at the rally site for about 70 minutes the morning of the assassination attempt. 

It is still unclear how Crooks evaded security even after being noticed by law enforcement more than an hour before shots rang out, but the FBI said more than 300 agents and staff are working "round the clock" to gather facts and put together a clearer timeline of Crooks' actions. 

Investigators located eight rounds on the roof where Crooks fired from, the agency said during the call.

Law enforcement first reported seeing a suspicious person near the rally site around 5:10 p.m. on July 13 — an hour and one minute before Crooks began shooting. Local law enforcement notified command about the suspicious person and received confirmation that the Secret Service was aware of his presence.

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Over the next hour, law enforcement identified a building of interest, and snipers took photos of Crooks and his bicycle left near the rally grounds. Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who was briefed on the assassination attempt, previously told Fox News Digital that a sniper "had eyes on" the suspicious person about 20 minutes before Crooks began firing.

Trump took the podium around 6 p.m. — an hour after he was scheduled to speak. Eleven minutes later, Crooks fired multiple rounds, killing 50-year-old Corey Comperatore and seriously wounding 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver. Dutch was hospitalized and has since been released, while Copenhaver remains hospitalized.

FBI officials are still working to determine Crooks' motive behind the assassination attempt that rocked Butler and neighboring townships. They are also still working to determine whether Crooks planned with any coconspirators, though the agency clarified on Monday that there are no signs to indicate there were others involved.

"His primary social circle appears to be limited to his immediate family, as we believe he had few friends and acquaintances throughout his life."

— Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge, FBI Pittsurgh field office

The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is also working to build out a more comprehensive profile for Crooks. 

"Investigators have interviewed dozens of people who knew or interacted with the subject. This included family members, coworkers, former teachers, classmates, and others," Rojek said. "We also consulted with specialists assigned to the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit to offer their expertise as we work to develop a profile of the subject. We have learned the subject was highly intelligent, attended college and maintained steady employment."

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Rojek later on described Crooks as a "loner, as far as his association or any other activities related to his mental state."

Trump is expected to return to Butler at some point for another rally, but he has not released any details on when that will be.