Thomas Crooks landed on authorities’ radar over 90 minutes before shooting, texts reveal: ‘I did see him with a…’

Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks landed on authorities’ radar over 90 minutes before he carried out the shooting at the Pennsylvania rally, newly released text messages have revealed. This time is about a half hour more than what officials claimed in the past.

Text messages between members of the Beaver County Emergency Service Unit, which were obtained by the New York Times, also revealed that the gunman was aware of the presence of the law enforcement while he prepared to carry out the shooting. “Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars just so you know,” a counter-sniper texted a colleague while heading out around 4:26 pm.

“I’m just letting you know because you see me go out with my rifle and put it in my car so he knows you guys are up there sitting to the direct right on a picnic table about 50 yards from the exit,” he wrote of the suspicious person, who was actually Crooks.

‘I did see him with a range finder’

Crooks was below the counter-snipers at around 5:10 pm. At the time, the counter-snipers were inside the AGR International building warehouse where Crooks, 20, would later climb onto the roof and open fire. At around 5:38 pm, a counter-sniper clicked photos of Crooks and shared them in a group.

In a text, an officer wrote they should inform the Secret Service about the suspicious individual. Crooks using a rangefinder had appeared disturbing to authorities.

“Kid learning around the building we are in. AGR I believe it is,” the text read. “I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage [sic]. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.”

“Call it in to command and have a uniform check it out,” an officer texted in another message provided by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office.

Authorities shared the pictures with Secret Service officials through a number of steps at the command centre. One text in the group even suggested that at about 6 pm, Crooks was seen moving toward the back of the complex of AGR buildings “away from the event.” However, it was around that time that the suspect was already on the roof and would open fire at Donald Trump’s rally within minutes.

The texts reveal that authorities were aware of the presence of a suspicious person almost 100 minutes before the tragedy, not about 60 minutes before the shooting, as was claimed at a previous congressional hearing. Meanwhile, amid massive criticism following the shooting, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle tendered her resignation.