Trump shooter was member of local gun club, practiced shooting day before assassination attempt, records show
Range where Crooks was member used by Department of Homeland Security for 'police training' during one of his visits, records show
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally last month, was a member of a local gun club where he practiced shooting just one day before trying to kill the former president, according to records from Senator Chuck Grassley’s office.
The records, obtained by Fox News Digital, show Crooks became a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club on August 10, 2023.
Crooks visited the range at least 43 times. Nearly half of those visits were in the first four months after he obtained membership, according to the records. He visited on Halloween, Christmas Day, and Valentine’s Day. The records show Crooks focused more on the rifle range rather than the pistol range.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Crooks attended target practice around three to six times per month in 2024. On one of these visits – May 23, 2024 – the range was also used by the Department of Homeland Security for "police training."
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Thomas Matthew Crooks crawling on a roof moments before he attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. (DJ Laughery (background))
BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 13: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Crooks made his last visit the afternoon of Friday, July 12, 2024 – just one day before the assassination attempt on Trump during the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Crooks was killed by a U.S. Secret Service sniper within seconds after firing upon Trump from a nearby rooftop.
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Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet, one rally attendee was killed, and two others were injured.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Secret Service, which was responsible for coordinating security with local law enforcement, has drawn intense scrutiny for its failure to prevent the shooting.
Two FBI investigators scan the roof of AGR International Inc, the building adjacent to the Butler Fairgrounds, from which alleged shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at former President Donald J. Trump, in the aftermath of the attempted assassination at a campaign rally on July 14, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was escorted away by the Secret Service with an injury to his ear. One attendee at the rally on July 13 was killed and two others severely injured. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
The scrutiny only intensified after it was revealed that law enforcement officers had observed Crooks and identified him as suspicious more than an hour before the shooting, but ultimately lost track of him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Crooks was able to scale the roof of a building owned by AGR International Inc., a supplier of automation equipment for the glass and plastic packaging industry, and fire an estimated eight shots with an AR-15 style rifle.
Officers surround Thomas Crooks on the AGR roof after countersnipers killed him. (Butler Twp Police Dept.)
Shortly before the shooting, a local officer climbed up to the roof to investigate. Crooks turned and pointed his rifle at the officer, who retreated.
After mounting pressure, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, following heated testimony before the House Oversight Committee.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, at the Capitol in Washington on Monday, July 22, 2024. ( AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
"To the Men and Women of the U.S. Secret Service, The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders and financial infrastructure," Cheatle wrote in a letter to the agency. "On July 13th, we fell short on that mission."
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Cheatle said that the "scrutiny" over the last week "has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse," she wrote.
Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report.