New, grisly photos of Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks raise even more questions about the failed assassination attempt.
One of the photos shows Crooks, 20, sitting on a wall in a grassy field on July 13 at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — moments before he opened fire.
The photo shows Crooks holding up his cell phone as if he were talking to someone. Investigators have not yet determined what Crooks’ motive was or whether he acted alone.
The other photo captures the moment Crooks turns to look over his shoulder while in the same position. It was unclear what prompted him to turn, or if he was talking to someone behind him.
Two photos of Crooks have been released Legal Guard along with documents detailing the support provided by local police in the run-up to the demonstration.
The first photo captured 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks — who appeared to be sitting on a wall in a grassy field on July 13 — during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The other photo captured the moment Crooks turned around while in the same position – although it’s unclear what prompted the turn, or whether he was perhaps talking to someone behind him
The photos have raised questions and theories about the attempted murder.
Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper after he opened fire at the rally and stabbed former President Donald Trump in the ear. One attendee at the rally was killed in the shooting and two others were wounded.
There had been previous speculation that Crooks may have been communicating with someone else before carrying out the attempted murder.
FBI reports said Crooks, a registered Republican who had donated to the Democratic Party, acted alone. Their investigation is ongoing.
A conspiracy theory that circulated immediately after the shooting was that there was a female “accomplice” of the shooter in the crowd.
While this theory has been debunked, there is some intriguing video footage of the rumor.
In the video, an unnamed woman appears to shout at the shooter just before he launches his attack.
Theorists claim she screams, “Crooks. What are you doing? Come here. Get down here.”
The clip quickly went viral on social media, with some claiming it is clear evidence of the presence of an accomplice.
However, other viewers have debunked this theory, stating that the woman is actually shouting “Ross” and not “Crooks.”
There has been previous speculation that Crooks did not act alone when he carried out the shooting in Butler… which led to his own death after he was shot by a Secret Service sniper
Another fringe theory posited that the “deep state” was involved in the assassination attempt. The alleged “deep state” is often accused of secretly manipulating the world for its own gain.
In this case, conspiracy theorists were quick to claim that the group was behind the shooting, claiming that the attack was a failed attempt to take out Trump.
The theory was widely shared, including by notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who told X that “we are in the midst of a Deep State coup.”
Jones also claimed that “they” would try again.
Others openly pointed the finger at President Biden, such as Congressman Mike Collins (R-GA) who sensationally posted via his personal X account that “Joe Biden sent the orders.”
There is no evidence that Biden – or any group – was involved in the attack on Trump.
One piece of evidence that raised questions was the discovery of a remote detonator on Thomas Crooks’ body, next to his cell phone, after he was shot dead.
The remote detonator can be seen next to Thomas Crooks’ cell phone
The 20-year-old would-be hitman was repeatedly seen and photographed by police officers before he scaled their building and opened fire
A photo first published by WPXI of Pittsburgh showed the detonator, a rectangular gray device with a keypad that resembled a television remote control, next to the shooter’s cellphone.
It was previously reported that FBI agents found explosive materials, ammunition and a bulletproof vest in the 20-year-old man’s car. CNN reports that the bombs were related to the detonator.
The shooter had been acting strangely near the metal detectors for at least an hour before the attempted assassination and was later seen using a rangefinder.
The gunfire rang out at the rally at 6:11 p.m. Trump took the stage at 6:03 p.m., an hour later than announced.
Police have not yet commented on what they believe Crooks planned to do after the shooting, as the Secret Service comes under increasing scrutiny for its failure to secure the event.