U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley posted a video on Tuesday showing the aftermath of the killing of Trump gunman Thomas Crooks, with law enforcement officials standing next to Crooks’ body on a rooftop.
Senator Grassley demanded an explanation and accountability for the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump while he was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was shot in the ear.
Crooks was shot dead after opening fire on Trump, then opened fire at the event, killing one more person and wounding two.
Body camera footage posted by Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, showed the suspect’s body on the roof of the building where Crooks opened fire, and blood stains were also seen near the suspect’s body.
“We need urgent, detailed answers about the security failures,” Sen. Grassley wrote to X. “Transparency brings accountability.”
In the video, a person wearing a dark suit and sunglasses is seen talking to a police officer armed with a rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest after the shooting and subsequent killing of Crooks.
Officers pointed out a rifle lying on the roof, but were unsure if it belonged to Crooks.
An officer recording on his body camera says he saw the shooter get off his bike and put down his backpack, then lose sight of him. It’s not clear in the video if the officer was referring to Crooks.
Grassley wrote that the video was obtained at the request of Congress from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit. The Beaver County Sheriff’s Office has a unit by that name, a tactical team that responds to high-risk incidents.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers have called for an explanation for how Crooks was able to fire on the former president, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General announced it had opened three investigations into the incident.
Kimberly Cheatle, director of the U.S. Secret Service, resigned on Tuesday, writing in her resignation letter that she “takes full responsibility for the security failures.”
Crooks’ motives are unclear.
Col. Christopher Parris, head of the Pennsylvania State Police, said at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Tuesday that Crooks had been identified as a suspicious person before the shooting.
Crooks was “seen loitering and conspicuous to them as he did not reach the entrance to the venue”, meaning he was loitering but not attempting to enter the venue, and was later seen holding a rangefinder.
Paris said the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, which was guarding the building where Crooks opened fire, contacted State Police with photos of the suspect and Crooks, and State Police passed the message on to the Secret Service.
Crooks was not considered a real threat until seconds before he opened fire, Paris said.
Trump, who is now the Republican presidential nominee, will not hold outdoor rallies in the wake of the assassination attempt, two sources familiar with his campaign said, adding that the current plan is to move the rallies indoors.
