Shocker: Would-Be Trump Assassin Twice Emailed Police Before Shooting

A legal watchdog has uncovered communications showing a Pennsylvania man who shot and wounded President Donald Trump and fatally shot another man at a 2024 campaign rally twice emailed local police before the attempted assassination and was carrying an unknown remote device.

The non-profit public interest law firm Judicial Watch announced in a statement “it forced the release of 48 heavily redacted pages from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit revealing that a Butler County Sheriff’s deputy exchanged emails with would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks prior to the July 13, 2024, shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.” 

“Our federal lawsuit continues to force the release of new information from the assassination attempt at the Butler rally,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The American people deserve full transparency about Thomas Crooks, his contacts, and why key details about this case remain hidden nearly a year later.”

“The records also indicate that a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officer recovered a “gray remote device” with an antenna from Crooks’ pocket after he was killed,” Judicial Watch notes.

“The records also show that a medic with the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit told the FBI that she was on the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building examining Crooks’s body when she was informed that a police canine had ‘hit; on the building and she was told to evacuate the roof where Crooks’s body remained,” Judicial Watch reports.

Judicial Watch reports it “filed the July 2025 lawsuit after the FBI failed to respond to a July 2024 FOIA request for all records related to Crooks and the assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. The request included investigative files, interview summaries, reports, communications, media, and database records, as well as any FBI communications—across all formats—between FBI personnel, sources, contractors, or assets and Crooks himself (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:25-cv-02216)).”

“A heavily redacted July 17, 2024, FBI electronic communication titled ‘Disc of 5 Deputies of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office that were conducted on 07/16/2024’ summarizes interviews conducted with deputies from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. One deputy revealed that she had exchanged two emails with Crooks,” Judicial Watch reports.

Further information about the nature of those emails was redacted:

On 7/16/2024, TFO [task force officer] [redacted] of the FBI TOC-West [transnational organized crime] Task Force and Trooper [redacted] of the Pa State Police conducted interviews …

***

On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, Special Agent (SA) [redacted] telephonically interviewed [redacted] … After being advised the identity of the interviewing agent and the nature of the interview, (redacted) provided the following:

[Redacted] advised she [redacted] Thomas Crooks (CROOKS) in the [redacted] was an [redacted] therefore [redacted] with CROOKS. [Redacted] advised she did not recognize CROOKS when everything was on the news over the weekend but on Sunday night, a New York Times reporter emailed her asking questions.

[Redacted] advised she checked her emails and records and only had two email communications from CROOKS and both emails were in regard to [redacted].

[Redacted] advised she did not have any personal interaction with CROOKS [redacted].

“In a July 17, 2024, FD-302 interview summary a Beaver County Emergency Services Unit (ESU) first responder told the FBI that she observed a SWAT officer recover a remote device and a cell phone from Crooks’ pocket,” Judicial Watch reveals. 

The firm reports “the first responder also states that she was called to the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building where she examined Crooks and pronounced him deceased:”

[Redacted] confirmed she was present at the Butler County fairgrounds for the Trump rally. Her responsibilities included providing medical backup for the ESU [Emergency Services Unit] team or any police response. She arrived at the fairgrounds at 9:00am and was positioned at the spectator screening area.

***

[Redacted] reported that the Beaver County ESU [Emergency Services Unit] team were provided two Butler County radios to monitor two different channels during the event, one was patrol. Beaver County ESU [Emergency Services Unit] commander [redacted] was notified to move, so the team prepared to move. During that time, [redacted] advised that the team was also aware of reporting from their sniper element of a questionable subject in the area that could not be located.

[Redacted] was in the Beavery County ESU [Emergency Services Unit] vehicle, a Bearcat, with rest of team. The vehicle, driven by [redacted] initially stopped at the command post and moved towards the first victim. The bearcat was moved between the victim and crowd. The Butler County medic, named [redacted] was first to victim. [Redacted] reported there were three health care providers with the victim, so [redacted] did not move to provide support. She then looked for others that may need medical assistance.

[Redacted] did not have access to Butler County radios and only had access to a Beaver County radio. She did not remember who told her, but there were reports for medical assistance needed at the AGR [American Glass Research] facility. She coordinated with [redacted] to request operator support to travel from stage area to the facility. She traveled with [redacted] and [redacted]. The went through a small space between a fence that separated the fairgrounds and AGR [American Glass Research] facility. She was advised that there may have been multiple operators down, a potential shootout and that the shooter was down. She encountered a uniformed officer and was told that support was needed on the roof. She utilized a black collapsible ladder to get onto the roof of the AGR [American Glass Research ] facility.

At 1823 [6:23 p.m.] [redacted] arrived on roof and did not see any officers down. She was told by others on the roof to evaluate the shooter. She observed that the shooter had injuries not sustainable for life. She checked the shooters pulse on the carotid on the right side and did not find one. She pronounced him dead at 1825 [6:25 p.m.].

[Redacted] observed the shooter laying prone, face-down and handcuffed with flex-cuffs. The rifle was off to the shooters left. There were medical supplies near the shooter, but it did not belong to her. There were two Butler County SWAT officers, one Washington County SWAT officer and a uniformed Butler County officer on the roof with her. The Washington County SWAT officer checked the shooter’s right pocket and discovered a gray remote device with numerical push buttons and an antenna and a cell phone.

[Redacted] recalls that EOD [explosive ordnance disposal] showed up on the roof to look the gray remote device. She remembers being told that a canine hit on the building beneath them and were told to evacuate the roof. The shooters body remained on the roof.

[Redacted] does not know when the shooter’s body was moved from the roof. She was provided a body bag by Butler County EMS and later provided this bag to an individual from FBI or US Secret Service. She does not recall which agency.

[Redacted] does not recall the time she left the scene, but it was after 1:00am on July 14, 2024. She participated in a debrief with the Butler County ESU team on July 15, 2024.

[Redacted] did not attend the operations briefing at 0900. She believed that Butler County coordinated with Allegheny Health Network to have a physician on site and a medical tent on site. She does not know who was in charge of the medical response for the event.

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