First pics of AR-15 that Thomas Crooks used to shoot Donald Trump revealed
The FBI has released the first photos of the AR-15 rifle that Thomas Matthew Crooks used in his attempt to kill former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania last month.
The images show that Crooks — a 20-year-old gun nut — broke down the semiautomatic DPMS DR-15 rifle into two pieces and stowed it in a black SwissGear backpack as he made his way through the rally crowd.
A closer look at the weapon reveals an approximately three-inch (eight centimetre) chunk missing from the gun’s buttstock, which could be where the police sniper’s bullet struck before the Secret Service sniper finished Crooks off with a headshot.
“Thomas Crooks’ rifle broken down as was likely done for transport and the backpack recovered onsite,” the FBI captioned the bombshell new image.
A separate photo showed the rifle fully assembled and positioned next to a ruler, which pegs its length at around 36 inches (91 centimetres) from stock to barrel. The gun’s receiver has been scrawled with some white markings, which the FBI notes it had drawn on the weapon.
It was known from previous reporting that the rifle had been purchased by Crooks’ father a decade ago.
The agency also released images of two improvised explosive devices in the trunk of Crooks’ car — with the receiver enabling remote detonation set in the “off” position. The bureau said the devices had “several problems with the way they were constructed”.
One of the homemade bombs was built inside what looks to be a green ammo can, a wire leading out the back is haphazardly taped to the side of the container and connected to a small device that appears to be equipped with a small antenna.
The trunk also contains another backpack, a laptop bag, and a spray bottle filled with a clear liquid.
Another picture showed the airconditioning unit Crooks used to scale the AGR International building just off the Butler Farm Show grounds, where he perched with his rifle some 130 yards (119 metres) from where Mr Trump took the stage.
Crooks fired eight shots from his rooftop vantage point July 13, nicking the former President’s right ear and killing 50-year-old retired fire chief Corey Comperatore.
He also critically wounded former Marine David Dutch and James Copenhaver, who have since been released from hospitals.
