Janice R. Andrews
The autopsy report for 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, who tried to kill former President Donald Trump, has been made public by the Butler County Coroner’s Office. Crooks was shot once in the head at 6:25 p.m. on July 13, and coroner William Young declared the death to be a murder. The event took place close to a Trump rally location on the top of an AGR International warehouse.
Butler County has refused to provide further information despite demands for a complete autopsy report, claiming state record rules that prohibit such disclosures. It’s still unknown if Crooks underwent the customary autopsy testing for drugs or chemicals.
Congressional oversight committees have criticized the event, pointing out in particular that federal officials have been releasing information slowly. Recently, Senator Chuck Grassley released local camera footage and investigative data pertaining to the shooting incident to the public.
A chronology made public by the Federal Bureau of Investigations indicates that Crooks was flagged as suspicious just after 5 p.m., more than an hour before the tragic meeting. SWAT squad members saw him surfing news websites on his phone and using a range finder at around 5:30 p.m. At 5:56 p.m., Crooks was observed carrying a rucksack, scaling HVAC pipes, and making his way across many roofs to reach his destination.
When local police arrived on the site at 6:11 p.m., one of them saw Crooks and quickly took cover. After firing eight shots at Trump, Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper around twenty-five to thirty seconds later.
