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Trump shooting live updates: Photos show suspect 1 hour before shooting

One spectator was killed and two were hurt in Saturday's shooting.

Last Updated: July 19, 2024, 3:47 PM EDT

Federal authorities are investigating after former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

The alleged shooter was killed by snipers. One spectator was killed and two were hurt, officials said.

    8:04 AM EDT

    What we know about the shooting

    New details have emerged about the suspected shooter at former President Donald Trump's rally over the weekend, including what first brought Thomas Matthew Crooks under suspicion. Read more here.

    PHOTO: Illustration
    This graphic shows the location of the stage at the Trump rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024, and the suspected shooter's location on a rooftop near the venue.
    ABC News

    10 hours and 40 minutes ago

    Timeline suggests attack could’ve been thwarted as late as 6 minutes before shots fired

    A comprehensive timeline of the attempted assassination suggests the ingredients were there to have potentially thwarted the attack as late as six minutes before the first shot was fired.

    The timeline, reviewed by ABC News, said a member of a local SWAT team from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, first spotted the suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, at 5:10 p.m. Saturday -- about one hour before the shooting -- when he walked by a window. The team was comprised of eight snipers and spotters and had been in position since 10:30 a.m.

    At 5:14 p.m., a member of the Beaver County sniper team took Crooks’ photo.

    PHOTO: Police snipers photographed Thomas Matthew Crooks outside the AGR building at 5:14pm.
    Police snipers photographed Crooks outside the AGR building at 5:14pm.
    Obtained by ABC News

    Police snipers photographed Thomas Matthew Crooks outside the AGR building at 5:14pm.
    Obtained by ABC News

    At 5:28 p.m., he took a photo of a bicycle and backpack.

    Police photographed a bicycle and backpack at 5:28pm.
    Obtained by ABC News

    At 5:32 p.m., a sniper saw Crooks looking at news feeds on his phone and noticed he had a range finder. The sniper flagged the suspicious activity in a group text and received a response saying, "Call into command." The sniper did as instructed at 5:41 p.m. and communicated a description of the suspect lurking around the AGR Building, the roof of which Crooks ultimately used as a perch.

    At about 6 p.m., police sought information about the suspect’s direction of travel. At 6:05 p.m., Crooks was spotted at picnic tables carrying a backpack, and that information was relayed over the radio.

    At 6:05 p.m., Trump walked onto the stage.

    At 6:06 p.m., the sniper who first noticed Crooks left his position and went to meet patrol officers to let them know the suspect was around the building on the side of the fairgrounds. One marked vehicle and an unmarked vehicle moved into position.

    At 6:12 p.m., shots were fired.

    Police climbed onto the roof and confirmed the suspect dead at 6:32 p.m. A search of Crooks’ pockets turned up a phone and a transmitter device.

    After Thomas Matthew Crooks is shot and killed, police photographed the roof, Crooks’ body, and objects on the roof, including a black cell phone and a gray wireless transmitter.
    Obtained by ABC News

    The timeline does not reveal who received the information and whether concerns a suspicious person and possible threat were transmitted to Secret Service commanders on site, who could have delayed Trump’s entry into the rally or opted to take additional security steps.

    -ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik, Josh Margolin, Aaron Katersky and Chris Looft

    1:09 PM EDT

    Fire truck carries body of firefighter killed at rally

    The body of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was killed at Saturday’s rally while shielding his family from the gunfire, was transported on a fire truck for his funeral in Pennsylvania on Friday.

    His fellow firefighters came together to carry his casket.

    A firetruck transports the body of Corey Comperatore during his private funeral in Sarver, Pennsylvania, on July 19, 2024.
    Alan Freed/Reuters

    PHOTO: Fire fighters carry the casket of Corey Comperatore on the day of his private funeral at Cabot Church in Butler, Pa., on July 19, 2024.
    Fire fighters carry the casket of Corey Comperatore, a retired volunteer fire department chief who was shot and killed in the attack on Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, on the day of his private funeral at Cabot Church in Butler, Pa., on July 19, 2024.
    Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

    Comperatore, 50, leaves behind a wife and two daughters.

    "Corey Comperatore was our beloved father and husband, and a friend to so many throughout the Butler region," the family said in a statement on Thursday. "He was a local leader and veteran, a former fire chief, and a committed Christian who found peace and joy through our church.”

    People react as the funeral procession for Corey Comperatore passes by, on July 19, 2024, in Sarver, Pa.
    Matt Slocum/AP

    Pennsylvania State Police arrive at the Cabot Church, in Cabot, Pa., on July 19, 2024, before the funeral service for Buffalo Township Volunteer fireman Corey Comeratore, who was killed at a Pennsylvania rally for Donald Trump.
    Gene J. Puskar/AP

    "We thank the countless people who have prayed for us throughout the past week," the family added.

    12:54 PM EDT

    More information arises about shooter’s searches, including bomb-making

    Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old suspected gunman, actively searched about bomb-making, the date of Trump’s rally and about the Democratic National Convention, according to a source with direct knowledge.

    Members of the U.S. Secret Service surround Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024.
    Gene J. Puskar/AP

    He also actively searched for information about "major depressive disorder," the source said.

    Crooks’ phone also contained some information about Oxford, Michigan, high shooter Ethan Crumbley and his parents, the source said.

    A law enforcement member speaks with neighbors near the home of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, named by the FBI as the "subject involved" in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, in Bethel Park, Pa., July 14, 2024.
    Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters

    Crooks’ phone contained images of FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland and other public figures, the source said.

    -ABC News’ Pierre Thomas

    11:32 AM EDT

    Secret Service director will testify before House Oversight Committee Monday

    Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify on Monday before the House Oversight Committee, according to agency spokesman Anthony Gugliemi.

    "The Secret Service is fully accountable for the safety of its protectees," Gugliemi said in a statement. "We are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure it never happens again. That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI, and other relevant investigations."

    PHOTO: Illustration
    This graphic shows the location of the stage at the Trump rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024, and the suspected shooter's location on a rooftop near the venue.
    ABC News

    In the days since the attack, Cheatle and the Secret Service have faced heightening scrutiny for failing to prevent the incident from happening, and even calls from some for Cheatle to resign. Cheatle said she would not resign from her role.

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