Newly uncovered footage reveals a figure on the roof moments before the assassination attempt on Trump.

A video appears to show Thomas Matthew Crooks preparing to shoot at former President Donald Trump.

Newly uncovered footage reveals a figure on the roof moments before the assassination attempt on Trump.
Newly uncovered footage reveals a figure on the roof moments before the assassination attempt on Trump.

The recently released bodycam footage of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump reveals the shooting suspect walking on a roof just moments before he fired off his deadly rounds at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.

The recently discovered video provides additional insight into the assassination attempt and the moments preceding the July 13 shooting.

A shadowy figure was seen emerging on top of the American Glass Research (AGR) complex building at 6:08 p.m., as captured in a bodycam clip released by the Butler Township Police Department.

Trump after being shot, Thomas Matthew Crooks
New video appears to show Thomas Matthew Crooks, top right, on a roof before his attempted assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, left. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, left, Iron Clad USA, middle, Butler Township Police Department, to right, Planet Chronicle, bottom right. )

A police officer on patrol in a green area on the east side of the AGR complex, near the water tower, captures on his bodycam what is believed to be Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, roof-hopping and making his way to the southernmost structure of the complex.

A police officer is seen walking on the ground in the opposite direction of the shooter on the roof, unaware of the situation, according to the footage.

The police officer can be seen communicating with other officers and then patrolling the adjoining car park. However, his bodycam does not have sound.

The officer's bodycam footage shows that the suspect took approximately two and a half minutes to set up and shoot at Trump and the other attendees, as indicated by timestamps from other police bodycam footage.

Buildings that are adjacent to The Butler Farm Show, site of a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump,
The AGR Building where Thomas Matthew Crooks fired his shots. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The FBI previously stated that the suspect climbed up HVAC equipment and piping to access the roof of a building and then traversed multiple rooftops before finding his shooting position on top of a building about 150 yards from where the former president spoke at his rally.

Investigators discovered that Crooks bought a ladder before the assassination attempt, but he left it at his Bethel Park residence and did not utilize it at the rally. No ladder was found at the scene.

The video by James Copenhaver, one of the victims shot, confirms Crooks' timeline, and also shows a figure moving on the rooftop.

Last week, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., released a preliminary report stating that crooks fired eight shots while attempting to assassinate Trump.

A still image from James Copenhaver's video
A new video from James Copenhaver, one of the victims critically wounded in a July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, shows a figure moving across a rooftop just minutes before gunfire rang out at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (James Copenhaver)

During the rally, a bullet grazed Trump's right ear, and firefighter Corey Comperatore was fatally struck. Rally-goers James Copenhaver and David Dutch were also shot and injured.

A Butler SWAT operator fired another shot from the ground, approximately 100 yards away from the AGR building. This shot hit Crooks' rifle stock and caused his face and shoulder area to be fragmented due to the stock breaking up, according to Higgins.

The southern Secret Service counter-sniper team fired another shot, entering Crooks' left mouth area and exiting the right ear area.

A chilling new video has been released showing the casual stroll of a group of suspects through a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, two hours before the shooting.

Shooter Crooks walking and Trump after being shot
Chilling new video has been released showing Thomas Matthew Crooks casually walking through a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, nearly two hours before he opened fire on former President Donald Trump and attendees at a campaign rally. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, main, and Iron Clad USA, inset.)

A short clip released by Iron Clad USA shows Crooks at 4:26 p.m. walking past a line of vendors selling Trump merchandise ahead of the July 13 rally, not carrying anything. He was wearing the same "Demolitia" T-shirt when he opened fire on Trump.

At least 90 minutes before former President Trump opened fire, local law enforcement officials flagged his Pennsylvania residence as suspicious and sent text messages to colleagues.

According to messages obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who obtained them from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, officers flagged Crooks after he was spotted using a range finder, but did not approach him.

Planet Chronicle’ Bonny Chu and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.

by Michael Dorgan

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