On Thursday, the U.S. Secret Service and FBI reacted to a video shared by James Copenhaver, a victim injured in a July 13 assassination attempt on former President Trump, which captured a figure moving on the roof of the building from which gunman Thomas Crooks fired.
The footage, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, was recorded at 6:08 p.m. on July 13, just minutes before Crooks fired at least eight shots at 6:11, leading to his death at the hands of counter snipers.
“The Secret Service is dedicated to fully understanding the events before, during, and after the assassination attempt on former President Trump to prevent such occurrences in the future,” the agency said in a statement to Fox News. “This involves full cooperation with Congress, the FBI, and other pertinent investigations.”
The FBI confirmed to Fox News that they are aware of the video but have no additional comments at this time.
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Former President Donald Trump, now a Republican presidential candidate, is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In his assassination attempt, Crooks killed 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a father and volunteer fire chief, and severely injured 74-year-old James Copenhaver and 57-year-old David Dutch. Trump narrowly avoided injury; as he turned to view a projection screen showing immigration statistics, a bullet grazed his ear, but he was evacuated from the rally unharmed.
Law enforcement has been diligently working to reconstruct the timeline of events surrounding the evening to uncover how Crooks was able to conduct the assassination attempt.
VIDEO FROM TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT VICTIM’S POV SHOWS FIGURE MOVING ON ROOF MOMENTS BEFORE GUNFIRE
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is sheltered by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
According to text messages disclosed by Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley’s office, obtained via a public records request, law enforcement officials were alerted to a suspicious individual near the rally site about 90 minutes before the gunfire erupted and had captured images of Crooks around 4:36 p.m.
FBI representatives informed reporters during a press conference on Monday that Crooks accessed the roof of the AGR building by climbing over HVAC equipment and related piping. He made his way across several rooftops before finding his shooting position on the AGR building, which offered a clear view of the former president.
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Images of Thomas Mathew Crooks captured by a sniper. (Sen. Ron Johnson’s Office)
In the days preceding the shooting, on July 6, Crooks, who hails from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, conducted research to determine how far Lee Harvey Oswald was from the late President John F. Kennedy during Oswald’s assassination in 1963.
On July 7, he visited the rally site and spent around 20 minutes in the vicinity, as per Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge at the FBI’s Pittsburgh office.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: FBI SAYS GUNMAN CLIMBED HVAC, TRAVERSED ROOFTOPS TO SHOOTING PERCH
A counter sniper records Crooks as he checks his phone and a range finder. At 5:38 p.m., the sniper sends a message to the “Sniper Group” regarding the suspicious person, later identified as Crooks, according to Johnson’s office. (Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office)
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On the day of the rally, Crooks parked his vehicle and operated a drone between about 3:50 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., roughly 200 yards from where Trump was scheduled to speak on July 13. The FBI Director Christopher Wray testified during a congressional hearing on July 17 that Crooks had spent around 70 minutes at the rally site the morning of the assassination attempt.
Fox News’ CB Cotton and Seth Andrews contributed to this report.
