What’s Going On: Trump Shooter Flew DRONE Over Trump’s Rally Just Hours Before Rally Started

A new report has revealed Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks flew a drone over Trump’s rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania, hours before firing shots at President Trump and several rallygoers.

NBC News reported Crooks flew a camera drone above Trump’s rally site in order to get an overhead view to help plan his attack.

Crook’s drone was reportedly discovered inside his vehicle after the shooting, and investigators were able to track the flight path of the drone after evaluating the drone’s flight paths.

NBC News further reported that the Secret Service commonly bans drone flights over secure areas.

NEW: Thomas Crooks was able to fly a drone over the Pennsylvania rally location before the event started according to the Wall Street Journal.

So a 20-year-old would be assas*in can use a drone but not the Secret Service?

“The gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump was able to… pic.twitter.com/RiHacRFjdc

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 20, 2024

🚨🇺🇸BREAKING: TRUMP SHOOTER USED DRONE TO SCOUT RALLY

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate Trump on July 13, used a drone to survey the Butler Farm Show grounds before the attack.

Law enforcement officials reveal Crooks conducted multiple… pic.twitter.com/F9fUKsosxU

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 20, 2024

Check out what NBC News added:

The gunman who shot former President Donald Trump in the ear at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday flew a drone over the rally site a few hours before Trump took the stage, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The camera drone made by DJI allowed 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Crooks, to get an overhead view that maybe helped him plan his attack, the source said.

Trump was shot in the ear in the assassination attempt and Crooks was killed by the Secret Service after the attack at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Crooks used the drone.

The aerial surveillance appears to be another in a series of security failures that allowed the gunman to nearly kill the former president.

It’s common for the Secret Service to ban drones over areas they are securing, although it’s unclear if that happened with the Butler rally.

It’s unclear how investigators learned about the drone flight but drones often leave electronic traces of their flight paths, and DJI may have had a record of the flight.

A drone and drone equipment were recovered from Crook’s vehicle, a senior law enforcement source said.

A motive in the attempt to kill Trump remains unknown and under investigation.

Thomas Matthew Crooks used drone technology to survey the Butler Farm Show grounds prior to his attack, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Law enforcement officials disclosed that Crooks conducted multiple reconnaissance flights over the rally site, gathering crucial… pic.twitter.com/9aGCr8vSZo

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 20, 2024

Here’s what Newsweek reported:

The would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump reportedly conducted drone surveillance on Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally site in the hours before taking aim at the former president.

An avalanche of outrage erupted on social media after a Wall Street Journal article citing “law-enforcement officials briefed on the matter” claimed on Friday evening that Thomas Matthew Crooks flew a drone and captured footage of the site shortly before the rally began. One rally spectator was killed, two were seriously injured and the former president’s right ear was grazed by a bullet in the shooting.

The drone was reportedly programmed by Crooks to fly over the site on a “predetermined path,” likely gathering information that would allow the gunman to make a detailed plan for the deadly shooting, the WSJ reported.

Trump supporters, including the former president’s son Donald Trump Jr. and multiple Republican lawmakers, reacted to the report with outrage on X, formerly Twitter. Many also amplified recent GOP calls to fire Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.

“Just to underscore how crazy this all is, I was once prevented flying MY OWN drone off of the beach at Mar-a-Lago by USSS because my father was inside the house … ,” Trump Jr. wrote. “Now we have one literally scouting his speech!!!”