Purchase of ladder and ammunition How Crooks prepared for the Trump assassination
New research provides insight into the final hours of Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks. First he stopped at the shooting range, then he bought a ladder and ammunition.
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- New findings on the Trump shooter: US media report how Thomas Matthew Crooks is said to have prepared for the bloody deed.
- According to the report, he bought a ladder and ammunition the morning before the shooting of the former US president.
- The day before, he is said to have driven to a shooting range.
The investigation into the motives of the Trump assassin is in full swing. Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to kill the former US president at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. He was shot dead by Secret Service agents.
CNN is now reporting new developments in the investigation. Officials are said to have given the news channel insights into how Crooks prepared in the 48 hours before his bloody deed.
On Friday, the perpetrator is said to have driven to a shooting range where he was a member.
The following morning, Crooks drove to a branch of the Home Depot hardware store. There he bought a 1.5 meter high ladder. From there, his route continued to a gun store, where he allegedly bought 50 rounds of ammunition, as CNN knows from the officers.
Crooks then drove for about an hour to Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he finally opened fire from a rooftop.
No evidence of Crooks' political or ideological beliefs
What drove Crooks to commit the bloody deed is still being investigated. Although investigators have now been able to view his cell phone and computer and question family and friends, the exact motives are still unclear.
No evidence of Crooks' political or ideological beliefs has been found. But Crooks had allegedly planned a bigger crime. A remote detonator and bombs in his car indicated this.
The rifle Crooks used to shoot Trump came from his father. It was purchased legally. According to CNN, the shooter's parents are cooperating with the authorities.
Shooting club speaks out
As CNN writes, the shooting club, of which Crooks was a member and in which his father is also active, has clearly distanced itself from the events in Butler. "The club condemns the senseless act of violence that occurred," said Rob Bootay, an attorney for the club, according to the news station.
Whether Crooks ultimately used the ladder he bought at Home Depot that morning in the attempted assassination of Trump has not been conclusively determined. The same applies to the ammunition he purchased.
