While authorities still seek a motive behind the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, it now appears the gunman was able to fly a drone over the venue hours before the attempt, NBC reported.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, flew a drone over the campaign rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania, hours before Trump took the stage, a source told NBC News.
The drone's camera allowed Crooks to get an overhead view of the venue, which may have aided in his attack, the source said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Crooks allegedly flew the drone on a "predetermined path" over the rally, though it remains unclear at what time he was flying the drone or how many times he flew it over the grounds.
The Secret Service typically bans drone use over areas they are securing, making this another layer of failed security that allowed Crooks to nearly kill the former president.
According to a senior law enforcement source, a drone and drone equipment were found inside Crook's car following the shooting.
Despite Crooks being labeled "a character of suspicion" more than an hour earlier when police saw him wandering the perimeter of the crowd with a range finder and a backpack, Trump was still allowed to take the stage.
According to Wall Street Journal reports, the gunman received multiple packages marked "hazardous materials" to his house in the months leading up to the assassination attempt.
A source told the New York Post that the gunman had been tracking Trump's movements using the internet as far back as the spring.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said a congressional investigation of the shooting will be undertaken, with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle asked to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Monday.
The Department of Homeland Security is also investigating the Secret Service in three individual probes following the shooting.
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