Video, witness accounts and details from law enforcement are revealing what unfolded in the moments before the attack that killed a rallygoer and wounded Trump and two others.
The U.S. Secret Service was notified by the Pennsylvania State Police of a suspicious person with a rangefinder on the ground at 5:51 p.m. on Saturday — about 20 minutes before the gunman opened fire, according to three sources familiar with a law enforcement briefing to members of Congress on Wednesday. At that time, local law enforcement did not know the suspicious person had a gun, according to a local law enforcement officer and the Butler County sheriff.
Cellphone video also shows rally attendees pointing toward the shooter, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks , and trying to alert authorities to his presence — a full two minutes before he opened fire on the former president.
The gunman's motive in the attack remains unclear. A drone and four magazines full of the same ammunition that was used in the attack were among the items investigators seized from the gunman's vehicle after the shooting, according to sources. Two explosive devices and a tactical vest with plates in the front and back were also seized from his vehicle, and more than a dozen weapons were taken from his residence in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Secret Service is now facing mounting questions about the shortcomings that enabled the shooter to fire from a rooftop near the rally. Investigations are focusing on the gunman and the shooting itself, and on how the assassination attempt was able to happen.
Trump has made three appearances this week at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee with a bandage over his right ear and with increased security around him. The former president's son, Eric Trump, told CBS News his father has a "nice flesh wound" but is "in great spirits."
Fire trucks lead funeral procession of Trump rally victim
People are paying their respects to Corey Comperatore, the former Buffalo Township fire chief and dad who died protecting his family from gunfire at the Trump rally on Saturday.
Visitation was scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at Laube Hall on Community Park Road in Freeport, Pennsylvania.
In the morning, Buffalo Township fire trucks led a van carrying their former chief's body from Redmond Funeral Home downtown towards Laube Hall in a small procession.
Authorities are continuing to investigate how the assault rifle used by the gunman at the Trump rally was apparently not seen by law enforcement officers before the shooting, according to a person familiar with the investigation.
Investigators are looking at various theories, including that the shooter had the weapon in a backpack or that he might have previously stashed it near the building where he fired from.
Law enforcement sources confirmed the gunman climbed onto an air conditioner unit to access the roof from which he launched his attack and one theory is that he hid the weapon next to the unit.
Investigators are working on reconstructing the movements of the gunman on the day of the shooting and in the months, weeks and days prior to the assassination attempt.
Secret Service let Trump on stage because they didn't know flagged suspicious person had weapon
Multiple people briefed on the investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump told CBS News that U.S. Secret Service agents did not stop the former president from going on stage at the rally in Pennsylvania because they did not know that a suspicious person who had been flagged by security before the shooting had a weapon.
When Trump took the stage, there were reports that a suspicious person, who turned out to be the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, only had a rangefinder but no weapon and was not making any active threats, the people briefed said.
The Secret Service was notified that local law enforcement officers were following up on the report of the suspicious man, according to the people briefed on the investigation.
A sniper from a local tactical team deployed to assist the Secret Service at Trump's rally on Saturday took a picture of the gunman and saw him looking through a rangefinder minutes before the gunman opened fire, a local law enforcement officer told CBS News.
—Pat Milton, Nicole Sganga
Did the gunman make a donation to Democrats? What the records show.
After the FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks , CBS News and other outlets reviewed public records that verified he was a registered Republican who had previously donated $15 to a Democratic organization via ActBlue.
The apparent contradiction in Crooks' political alignment didn't fit an easy partisan narrative, and so far, investigators say, many questions about his motive remain unanswered. Some social media users seized on the lack of information to spread false claims and cast doubt on whether the gunman actually made the donation.
Posts spinning a tale of mistaken identity quickly spread. "Thomas Crooks, who donated 15 bucks to Act Blue, is a 69-year-old Democrat who lives in Pittsburgh and just happens to have the same name as the Republican who shot Trump," one X user inaccurately claimed.
In fact, Federal Election Commission records show that the Bethel Park address on the $15 donation, earmarked to Progressive Turnout Project, is the same street address and ZIP code where the gunman lived. But the municipality is mistakenly listed as Pittsburgh, despite Bethel Park being outside Pittsburgh city limits . In screenshots of the FEC filing shared on social media, users blurred Crooks' street address, causing confusion.
Crooks made the donation on Jan. 20, 2021, the same day President Biden was inaugurated. At that point he would have been 17 years old. He was not eligible to register as a Republican or vote in the 2020 election at the time.
The donation was made in response to an email asking recipients if they planned to watch the inauguration, and Crooks unsubscribed from the group's email list two years ago, a representative from the organization wrote in an email to CBS News.
Trump received a private, in-person briefing with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Tuesday in Milwaukee regarding the failed assassination attempt, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to CBS.
The briefing took place at Trump's hotel.
Drone among items seized from gunman's vehicle, sources say
A drone and four magazines full of the same ammunition that was used in the attack were among the items investigators seized from the gunman's vehicle after the shooting, according to three sources familiar with a law enforcement briefing to members of Congress on Wednesday.
Two explosive devices and a tactical vest with plates in the front and back were also seized from his vehicle.
Another explosive device as well as 14 weapons were taken from his residence in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, the sources told CBS News.
A rifle, remote transmitter, receipt from Home Depot and primary cell phone were found on and around the gunman's body, the sources said.
— CBS News' Ellis Kim, Chris Laible, Michael Kaplan
Corey Comperatore's family remembers him as "beloved father" ahead of funeral
The family of Corey Comperatore , who was shot and killed in the attack on Trump, released a statement Thursday honoring him after a local vigil and ahead of his private funeral.
"He was a local leader and veteran, a former fire chief, and a committed Christian who found peace and joy through our church. He loved and cared for us, his family," the statement read, calling him a "beloved father and husband."
CBS Pittsburgh reported that Comperatore was honored with an emotional vigil on Wednesday.
"Where do you start when you're asked to speak about somebody who's so loved and one that showed his love for his family?" asked friend Dan Ritter during the vigil.
The public has been invited to a procession through Freeport Community Park in Freeport, Pennsylvania, on Thursday afternoon. There will also be public visitation hours, CBS Pittsburgh reported . His funeral Friday will be private.
Post on gaming platform was not the gunman's, federal law enforcement official says
A federal law enforcement official says new analysis shows an account on the Steam gaming platform that investigators initially thought belonged to Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was not actually his account.
Earlier, two sources said a message posted there read: "July 13 will be my premiere," but the federal law enforcement official says further investigation determined it was a fake account.
Secret Service was aware of suspicious person before Trump took the stage
Pennsylvania State Police notified the U.S. Secret Service of a suspicious person with a rangefinder on the ground at 5:51 p.m. local time on Saturday — 20 minutes before the gunman opened fire, three sources familiar with a briefing given to lawmakers on Wednesday told CBS News.
At 5:52 p.m., the Secret Service disseminated information on the suspicious person to the counter-sniper team at the rally and response agents on the ground, the sources said.
At 5:51 and 5:52 p.m., local law enforcement did not know the suspicious person had a gun, according to a local law enforcement officer and the Butler County sheriff.
Trump took the stage at 6:03 p.m. local time and the gunman opened fire at 6:11 p.m.
— CBS News' Ellis Kim, Chris Laible, Michael Kaplan, Kerry Breen
Multiple apparent missteps, multiple probes
Numerous investigations have been launched into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. They include probes into the crime itself and how law enforcement allowed it to happen at all.
But it's becoming increasingly clear this was a complicated failure involving multiple missteps and at least nine different local, county and federal law enforcement divisions that were supposed to be working together.
Law enforcement has also warned of the potential for copycat attacks and more violence.
The Secret Service always partners with local law enforcement when a president, political candidate or other high-level official comes to town, and Saturday's rally was no different.
But the designated and accepted responsibilities of the various agencies involved, and how they carried them out, have come into question since the rally.
–CBS/AP
Local authorities told Secret Service they couldn't secure building Trump shooter used
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has said it was going to be up to local law enforcement to secure the building from which the man who shot former President Donald Trump opened fire.
"I don't know whose responsibility that building was," Goldinger said. "But someone should have been there."
Butler Township manager Tom Knights told the station, "It was indicated we did not have the manpower to take that task on, as well, based on our number of officers on duty."
Knights confirmed that the message was sent to the Secret Service two days before the Trump rally.
Butler Township also told the agency its team could only handle traffic control. CBS Pittsburgh learned the Secret Service never responded to those messages.
"All I know is our township police department was very clear that we did not have the manpower for it," Knights said.
–CBS Pittsburgh
Senators confront Secret Service director at Republican National Convention
Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn and John Barrasso posted video to social media appearing to show several congressional members confronting Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle in a hospitality suite at the Republican National Convention Wednesday regarding the alleged security lapses leading up to Saturday's assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
In the video posted by Blackburn, which also shows Sen. James Lankford, Barrasso demands a "resignation or full explanation" from Cheatle.
Barrasso references a phone briefing of senators by Cheatle earlier in the day, following which several senators had expressed frustration that the call included no pertinent information and was cut off after only a few questions had been allowed.
"We didn't get any of the responses that were necessary from you," Barrasso tells Cheatle in the video.
After fielding a barrage of questions and criticism from the senators, Cheatle responds in the video, "I don't think that this is the place to have this discussion."
She then exits the suite as the senators rush out after her, following her down a hall and continuing to yell questions at her.
Earlier Wednesday, Cheatle agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee. A committee spokesperson said the hearing would take place as scheduled on July 22
Gunman had 2 phones and searched about Trump appearances, Democratic National Convention
Law enforcement sources offered additional details Wednesday evening about the cellphone search history of Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks .
Sources had shared earlier that Crooks searched for images of former President Donald Trump and President Biden ahead of the shooting. On Wednesday evening they said that in addition to the images, Crooks did searches about Trump's appearances and dates, and about the Democratic National Convention.
Crooks also did searches of FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland and members of the British Royal Family. Crooks also searched about major depression disorders.
The sources also said Crooks had two cellphones and did the searches on his phones. They said there was still no indication of a motive, ideology or political views.
Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper shortly after he fired on Trump, officials said.
—Pat Milton, Andy Triay
Video shows Trump arriving at hospital after rally attack
New video posted online shows former President Donald Trump arriving at Butler Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania on Saturday, just minutes after surviving an assassination attempt at a rally.
Video taken from inside the hospital shows Secret Service agents surrounding Trump's SUV after pulling up. "There he is," people in a waiting room say as agents rush the former president inside the emergency room.
New details keep emerging about the Trump rally shooting.
The gunman at the Pennsylvania rally, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, had three fully loaded magazines and what appeared to be a radio transmitter. Over an hour before the shooting, Crooks was caught on video wandering around the rally site.
Old video and photos recirculate, falsely claiming Trump wasn't injured in shooting
Old videos and images of former President Donald Trump were recirculated online in the days after his attempted assassination to push false claims about his condition. Social media users falsely claimed the images "prove" Trump wasn't injured, or that he golfed less than 24 hours after the attack.
On Sunday, users shared photos and a video purporting to show the former president playing golf at his private club in Bedminster, New Jersey. In one photo, Mr. Trump is seen without bandages on his ear, putting on the green. In the video, he's waving to cheering onlookers as he climbs into a golf cart.
But while Mr. Trump was at Bedminster on Sunday, the club was closed, according to an email to club members obtained by Politico . The person who appears to have first shared the video on Sunday admitted in comments that it wasn't from that day.
The video was recirculated on other platforms by users claiming it was new, including in an X post by Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, who later commented that he found out the video was old. Lee did not take down his original post, which has over 9 million views.
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