FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that the gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump may have had a firearm with a collapsible stock, making it easier for him to carry and conceal the weapon. The gunman, identified as Thomas Crooks, had also researched President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Crooks fired at least eight shots and also flew a drone near the campaign rally’s main stage in Butler, Pennsylvania. Authorities found a drone, a drone controller, and two explosive devices in Crooks’ car.
Crooks, a shooting hobbyist, had gone to a shooting range the day before the assassination attempt with the same AR-style rifle he used at the rally. Lawmakers say there are still unanswered questions about the shooting. Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned as director of the Secret Service, was accused of not fully cooperating with the House Oversight Committee.
During a congressional committee hearing, it was revealed that officers spotted Crooks before the shooting but did not consider him a threat until seconds before he opened fire. Crooks was seen as suspicious because he was hanging around but never attempted to enter the rally. The shooting resulted in Trump being shot in the ear, one person being killed, and two others wounded. The hearings this week have shed more light on the events leading to the shooting and how Crooks evaded law enforcement.
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