Text messages released and radio chatter detailed Monday show that law enforcement officers lost sight of Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and further illustrate the confused communications around tracking him at the July 13 rally.
According to documents released by Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office, law enforcement officers knew of and raised the shooter’s presence at the rally more than 90 minutes before he climbed onto a roof and fired eight rounds at Trump.
At 5:14 p.m., an officer took photos of Crooks sitting outside. Twenty minutes later he sent those images to a group chat, the texts show.
“Kid learning around building we are in,” one text reads. “I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.”
Messages show that 10 minutes later, an officer sends the images to a second group chat and tells the other members to forward it: “if you wanna send this to whoever at command.” Six minutes later, at 5:51 p.m., someone responds: “Sent.”
One of the members of that same group chat also said they had lost track of where Crooks had gone just 15 minutes before the shooting.
“They are asking for a direction of travel,” one person wrote at 5:59 p.m., referring to the command center.
Someone responded a minute later: “Not sure. He was up against the building. If I had to guess towards the back. Away from the event.”
Security plans for Trump rally include contingency plans for a shooting
Grassley also released the Beaver County ESU’s after-action report of the shooting and Butler Emergency Services Unit’s plan that detailed the responsibilities of federal and local law enforcement during the rally. It’s unclear what the full extent of the security planning was that day, and these documents only provide a glimpse into how local law enforcement saw their roles that day.
The redacted entries reveal the communications as the information is passed up the chain.
In preparation for the rally, law enforcement was planning for a lone active shooter situation as well as explicitly watching for drone activity in the area, both of which happened under their watch.
According to the FBI, Crooks was able to fly a drone in the rally area two hours before Trump took stage and sneak past law enforcement stationed in the area, climbing a roof and nearly killing Trump.
Grassley, an Iowa Republican, also released the Butler Emergency Services Unit’s plan.
“Secret Service Counter Assault Team will handle evac,” the document states on a contingency plan for a shooting at Trump, adding later that in a single active attack event “Butler County ESU (Quick Reaction Force) Team will respond and handle incident.”
“Response will be quick and direct to the threat to neutralize said threat,” the document says of an attack on Trump.
The documents also confirm what officials have testified to: that local law enforcement was positioned in the area where Crooks opened fire.
According to the plan, the ESU sniper team would be issued a Butler County radio and was given a Butler Police frequency to dial into. Questions remain as to how local law enforcement communicated with Secret Service that day and the lack of a clear line of communication may have contributed to officers losing track of Crooks before the shooting.
The document also details, with redacted names, all of the law enforcement officers who were assigned security that day, including the two Secret Service snipers and their call signs, Hercules 1 and 2.
The Secret Service has not released its operational plan of the rally.
This story has been updated with additional details.
