HE HAS BEEN TALKING WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT SOURCES ALL NIGHT
LONG.
TOM, I KNOW WE JUST GOT NEW
INFORMATION ABOUT THE KIND OF
WEAPON THE SHOOTER USED.
SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIALS TELLING NBC NEWS IT
WAS A SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS IT HAS
BEEN PUT OUT IS THIS IS AN AR
15 STYLE RIFLE.
A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE USE THAT
AS A CATCHALL ESTIMATE WE ARE
DESCRIBING AS BASED ON LIFE
WASN’T OFFICIALS WE’VE SPOKEN
TO IS A SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE. IT CHAMBERS AND EXTRACT
AUTOMATICALLY BUT THE CHECK
TRIGGER NEEDS TO BE PULLED TO
FIRE.
IT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY TO
PULL THE TRIGGER BACK AND ROUND
AFTER ROUND COMES OUT.
YOU HAVE TO PULL THE TRIGGER
EACH INDIVIDUAL TIME TO WANT TO
FIRE A ROUND.
IT IS HIGH-POWERED.
IT HAS THE CAPABILITY
POTENTIALLY TO COVER THE
DISTANCE.
IT APPEARS TO HAVE A LONGER
BARREL PERHAPS THE MOST AR 15,
WHICH WOULD HELP WITH THAT.
LOOKING AT THESE IMAGES, MEAN,
THEY ARE STARTING TO LOOK AT.
THIS INVISIBLE CAME
EXCEPTIONALLY CLOSE TO KILLING
THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES AND THE
REPUBLICAN NOMINEE IN JUST
SEVERAL DAYS TIME.
AS FAR AS THE PERSON
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHOOTING,
THEY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS
THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS, BORN IN
SEPTEMBER OF 2003 FROM BETHEL
PARK, PENNSYLVANIA.
WE DUG THROUGH THE RECORDS.
IN PENNSYLVANIA, THEY HAVE A
ROBUST COURT SYSTEM, WE FOUND
NO CRIMINAL HISTORY, NOW
HISTORY OF LOSSES.
WE LOOK AT LOSSES TO SEE IF
SOMEONE HAS A AX TO GRIND
AGAINST AN INDIVIDUAL OR
INDIVIDUALS.
WE CAN SEE THAT.
REGISTERED, ACCORDING TO
PENNSYLVANIA RECORDS AS A
REGISTERED REPUBLICAN BUT DID
DONATE $50 TO A PRO-DEMOCRATIC
CAUSE.
RIGHT NOW IT IS VERY UNCLEAR,
IN THE WORDS OF ONE SENIOR LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL, WHAT THE
MOTIVE MIGHT BE HERE.
FOR A 20-YEAR-OLD MALE IN
AMERICA, THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS A
VERY SMALL SOCIAL MEDIA
FOOTPRINT.
THAT WILL MAKE IT MORE
DIFFICULT.
I THINK WE HAVE TO KEEP AN OPEN
MIND BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT LAW
ENFORCEMENT IS DOING AT THIS
POINT AS TO WHAT THE MOTIVE
MIGHT BE.
>> WE WERE IN THE HALLWAY
TALKING TO YOU TELLING ME WE
HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE FAMILY
OF THIS PERSON, WE’VE NOT HEARD
FROM ANY FRIENDS.
WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF
INFORMATION YOU TO BE
>> THAT THE FAVORITE.
FAMILY OMITS CORDONED OFF BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THERE IS A ROBUST LAW
ENFORCEMENT PRESENT IN THAT
NEIGHBORHOOD.
YOU CAN’T EVEN GET CLOSE TO IT.
SO, WHAT THE FAMILY MEMBERS
MIGHT BE SAYING, WHAT THEY ARE
TALKING ABOUT, WE JUST DON’T
KNOW.
HAVE THEY FOUND ANY HARD DRIVES
OR JOURNALS AT HOME, THAT
REMAINS UNCLEAR AT THIS HOUR AS
WELL. >> WE HAVE VIDEO THIS MORNING,
TOM, AS PEOPLE HAVEN’T SEEN
THIS YET, IT DOES SHOW THE BODY
OF THE POSSIBLE SHOOTER ON THE
ROOF OF THE NEARBY BUILDING WE
KEEP TALKING ABOUT.
OUR VIDEO VERIFICATION TEAM HAS
THE BUILDING ABOUT 300 YARDS
FROM WHERE MR. TRUMP WAS
SPEAKING.
DO POLICE OF ANY FOR THE READY
AND, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT IT
WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, TOM
WAS SPEAKING WITH THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY ABOUT THIS HELP ON
EARTH A PERSON WAS ABLE TO GET
TO THAT POSITION RIGHT BEFORE
THIS RALLY?
>> 100%, THAT IS BEING LOOKED
AT AND SOMETHING PEOPLE ARE
FOCUSING ON.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS INCIDENT
AND HOW CLOSE IT WAS, OF
COURSE, THIS IS A GOOGLE EARTH
IMAGE TAKEN AT A MOMENT IN TIME
SO WE DON’T SEE THE INSTRUCTOR
FOR THE TRUMP RALLY, THE STAND,
THE SECRET SERVICE SET UP. THEY SET UP A PERIMETER.
YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE
MAGIC MAGNETIC ONES.
THIS GOES FOR TRUMP OR BIDEN OR
ANYBODY ELSE, THEY RECEIVE THIS
LEVEL OF PROTECTION.
TO YOUR POINT, THIS INDIVIDUAL
ALMOST DIRECTLY OFF TO THE
RIGHT OF WHERE TRUMP WAS
SPEAKING.
YOU ARE LOOKING AT LAW
ENFORCEMENT, WHOM WAS UP ON THE
ROOF OF THAT BUILDING THIS
MORNING.
THAT WILL BE AN HONEST QUESTION
AS TO HOW THIS PERSON WASN’T
SEEN.
ALSO, I KNOW, KATE, COVERED A
NUMBER OF THESE HIGH-PROFILE
POLITICAL EVENTS AS WELL,
NORMALLY YOU WOULD TO SEE SOME
SORT OF UNIFORM POLICE
PRESENCE.
THE SECRET SERVICE CAN’T BE
EVERYWHERE.
THEY HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF
AGENTS, THEY HAVE TO FOCUS ON
PROTECTING DONALD TRUMP.
THEY DO ENGAGE WITH THE
PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE TO
HAVE A UNIFORMED PRESENCE AND A
BROADER PERIMETER.
IT IS AMAZING TO ME BASED ON
INITIAL ACCOUNTS AND BASED ON
INITIAL VIDEO THAT WE’VE SEEN
THAT THERE DIDN’T APPEAR TO BE
SOME SORT OF A UNIFORMED
PRESENCE WHO COULD GET ON THE
RADIO UNTIL WE HAVE A GUY
CLIMBING UP ON A ROOF.
THE COUNTER SNIPER SPOTTED HIM
AT SOME POINT.
THAT IS WHY HE IS DECEASED.
LOOKING AT HOW CLOSE.
USE OF THE MAP, JUST HOW CLOSE
THIS WAS.
>> TOM, OVERNIGHT, IT IS GOTTEN
A LOT OF PLAY.
THERE WAS ONE EYEWITNESS WHO
SPOKE OUT AND SAID I DID SEE
THIS MAN, I SAW SOMEONE WITH A
RIFLE AND I TRIED TO FLAG.
HE SAID LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT,
WHO WERE NEARBY.
WE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT
LOOK LIKE.
BUT, IF ANYONE IN YOUR WORLD,
RESOURCES AND PERHAPS THERE
WEREN’T ENOUGH PERSONNEL ON
SITE YESTERDAY?
>> NOBODY WANTS TO JUMP TO
THOSE TYPE OF CONCLUSIONS UNTIL
THEY KNOW LESLIE WHAT THE PLAN
WAS AND WHAT MIGHT’VE HAPPENED.
I WILL SAY THIS, I KNOW THAT
FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE LAST
NIGHT WITH THE FBI AND THE
PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE,
FOLKS BE SPOKEN WITH TODAY,
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS BEING
LOOKED AT. WHAT WAS THE PLAN,
WAS IT THE RIGHT PLAN?
CLEARLY NOT.
FOR THE SECRET SERVICE, THEY
HAVE TO BE RIGHT ALL THE TIME.
OF THE PERSON WHO WOULD WANT TO
TRY TO COMMIT AN ATTEMPTED
ASSASSINATION ONLY HAS TO BE
RIGHT ONCE.
FOR THEM, THEY HAVE TO GO BACK
AND LOOK AT THIS.
OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN FOR SO LONG
BETWEEN TRUMP AND BIDEN.
WE KNOW WHAT THE DISCUSSION HAS
BEEN THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS IN
THIS COUNTRY ABOUT THE CURRENT
PRESIDENT AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN
WITH HIM IN THIS RACE.
WE KNOW THAT TRUMP HAS THE RNC
STARTING THIS WEEK.
THESE TWO WILL HAVE TO TRAVERSE
THE COUNTRY, OR WHOEVER IS
GOING TO BE THE DEMOCRATIC
NOMINEE IS GOING TO HAVE TO
TRAVERSE THE COUNTRY, CAMPING,
TALK TO PEOPLE, BE OUT OF THERE
AND ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC.
IN A SCENARIO WHERE YOU JUST
HAD AN ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION
OF ONE OF THE CANDIDATES.
THE STAKES COULDN’T BE HIGHER
FOR THE SECRET SERVICE AT A
TIME WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT,
NUMBERS AND MANPOWER IS DOWN.
THERE ARE CHALLENGES ABROAD
HERE.
THIS HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED THE
GAME, AND ABOUT NO DOUBT ABOUT
IT.
THESE RALLIES USED BY CANDIDATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY