Trump assassination attempt: New texts show local police scramble to assist with covering rally

New texts between members of Beaver County emergency services in Pennsylvania show just how understaffed they were ahead of a rally for former President Trump earlier this month when a would-be assassin shot him and others, killing a spectator. 

In a discussion between team leaders at the emergency services, who were requested to assist with the rally in nearby Butler County where the event took place, several unnamed people discussed their lack of available workers. 

According to one leader, his team was busy and could not work the rally, remarking that “everyone else is either working, on vacation or hurt,” in texts provided to Fox News Digital by the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

The senator’s office revealed an overview of all records received by Grassley regarding the attempted assassination on Monday. 

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Text messages between the team leaders of the Beaver County emergency services unit showed that they were asked to assist Butler County with security for the Trump event only days before the rally. A message was sent to team leaders on July 8, asking who would be available to help for the July 13 event. 

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“It is probably going to be a 12 [hour] detail. Right now I am looking for 6 guys available. If absolutely needed we can split the shift,” a text to the leaders read. 

At one point, someone said they may tell Butler County, where Trump’s rally took place, that the emergency services from Beaver County may need to be “on call” instead. 

A diagram illustrates approximate coverage areas by local sniper teams from both Beaver and Butler counties at the rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. The former president was shot at in an assassination attempt at the rally, resulting in the death of one of the rally goers. (Provided by Senator Chuck Grassley )

In a planning diagram, the locations of various snipers for Butler County and Beaver County can be seen. The approximate coverage of each sniper team was labeled, with each focused on the area surrounding where the stage would be. 

However, would-be assassin Thomas Crooks’ location on top of a warehouse owned by AGR International was not included in the area covered by snipers. His placement is detailed in an after-action report from Beaver County, which reiterated the position of their sniper, not far from Crooks’ position. 

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A Beaver or Butler County sniper position is in place at the rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The former president was shot in an assassination attempt at the rally. (Provided by Senator Chuck Grassley )

The documentation compiled by Grassley also demonstrated the sightings of Crooks, and observation of his suspicious behavior leading up to the shooting that evening. 

Roughly an hour before the attempted assassination, snipers noticed Crooks, reporting that he was sitting at a picnic table nearby. 

“I did see him with a range finder looking towards the stage,” a text to a group chat of multi-county snipers read at 5:38 p.m. “If you wanna notify [Secret Service] snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.”

The author of the message also said a bike and a backpack had appeared in the building’s rear. 

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Photographs of Crooks and the bike and backpack were exchanged by local police over text message.

Photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks is alleged to be the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

Just minutes before Crooks opened fire, the local officers assisting with the event weren’t sure where he had gone.

One person responded, “not sure” when asked what direction Crooks had traveled in. “He was up against the building,” they wrote at 6:00 p.m. “If I had to guess towards the back. Away from the event.”

Five minutes later, it was communicated over the radio that the suspect was at the picnic tables and moving towards Sheetz with a backpack. Between 6:06 and 6:12, an individual, the name of whom is redacted in the after-action report, attempted to tell patrol officers about Crooks’ presence around the building on the side of the fairgrounds. 

But at 6:12 p.m., shots were fired. 

Grassley’s office indicated that his oversight of the attempted assassination is ongoing.