The final photo of would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks shows the 20-year-old gunman crawling on the ground and seemingly scoping out a spot from which to shoot at former President Donald Trump nearly one hour before the attack.
The image, taken by a sniper around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, was sent to law enforcement at Trump’s Butler, Pa., rally to report the suspicious sighting, news station WXPI reported.
Crooks can be seen in the photo sporting long brown hair and glasses while wearing a gray T-shirt representing the popular YouTube gun channel Demolition Ranch.
Law enforcement sources told the station that an officer searched the grounds for Crooks at that point, but did not see him where the first picture was taken.
Then at 6:11 p.m., Crooks fired the first shot at Trump from about 130 yards away, grazing his ear and killing one rally attendee. Two other people were seriously injured in the attack.
Photos have also emerged of Crooks’ cellphone and a remote transmitter next to his dead body atop the manufacturing plant where he attempted to carry out the assassination.
A gray, 12-button remote and a “newer model” phone were recovered from the 20-year-old’s body after the shooting, according to photos obtained by WPXI.
The transmitter is believed to have been connected to an explosive device found inside Crooks’ car as investigators suggested that he had planned to stage a distraction during the shooting.
Crooks was spotted by law enforcement, using a rangefinder and looking at the phone, nearly an hour before Trump took the stage, though he first raised suspicions around 3 p.m. that day when he passed through the security screening area with the rangefinder.
A rangefinder is a device similar to binoculars used by hunters and target shooters to measure distances for long-range shots.
Here’s the latest on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump:
- Everything we know about Trump’s assassination attempt as authorities work to uncover sniper’s motive
- What we know about Thomas Matthew Crooks, gunman who tried to assassinate Trump at Pa. rally
- Grateful, defiant Trump recounts surviving ‘surreal’ assassination attempt at rally: ‘I’m supposed to be dead’
- Local counter-sniper team was inside building where Trump shooter climbed on the roof and opened fire: sources
Investigators’ working theory is that Crooks went to his car to retrieve the AR-style rifle he stole from his father, the outlet reported.
Seconds before Crooks took aim at Trump, a local cop interrupted the shooter, who pointed the rifle at him before the cop dropped and fell eight feet to the ground.
While the bullet only grazed Trump’s right ear, Crooks killed hero firefighter and father Corey Comperatore, who was at the rally with his wife and daughters.
The 50-year-old dad shouted “Get down!” and used his body to shield his family from the gunfire before he was fatally shot, his heartbroken wife told The Post from her Sarver, Pa., home Monday.
Two other rallygoers were also injured.
Authorities have not yet shared a possible motive for the shooting.