Trump Rally Gunman Searched For a Disturbing Detail Online Before Butler Incident: “How Far Away…”

The gunman who attempted to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 searched Google about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on the same day he registered for the event. FBI Director Christopher Wray disclosed this detail during testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, according to Fox News.

Wray revealed that Crooks, a 20-year-old shooter, searched “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” on July 6, one week before the shooting. This search referenced Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy in 1963 from a distance of 265.3 feet in Dallas. Wray emphasized, “This search is significant in terms of his state of mind, as it occurred on the same day he registered for the Butler rally.” According to CBS News , Crooks reportedly became ‘very focused on’ Trump and the event around this time.

On the day of the rally , Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle, climbed onto the roof of a building approximately 400 feet from the stage. He fired eight shots, killing one attendee and wounding Trump and two others before being fatally shot by a Secret Service counter-sniper. Investigators later found eight spent bullet cartridges on the roof. The FBI’s investigation into Crooks’ motive has yet to produce definitive answers. Despite examining his electronic devices and personal belongings, investigators have found no clear ideological or motivational link.

“The usual repositories of information have not yielded anything notable in terms of motive or ideology,” Wray explained. In addition to the search, Wray revealed that Crooks flew a drone around the rally area just two hours before Trump took the stage, as reported by CNN . The drone, found in Crooks’ car after the shooting, captured a live feed that likely provided him with a ‘rear-view mirror’ of the scene behind him.

The FBI has since reverse-engineered the drone’s flight path. Wray noted that Crooks also had explosives in his car and home, but they were not functional from the rooftop vantage point. The rifle Crooks used in the attack was legally purchased, having been acquired from his father, who originally bought the weapon. Investigators believe Crooks climbed to the roof using mechanical equipment and piping on the side of the building, ruling out the use of a ladder. Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris testified earlier that Crooks was on the roof for approximately three minutes before opening fire.

Wray also addressed a separate revelation of an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump. However, he clarified that there is no evidence linking Crooks to the Iranian plot. Amid the high-stakes testimony, Wray confirmed an internal investigation into an FBI employee for a ‘totally inappropriate’ post regarding the Trump assassination attempt. He assured lawmakers that the agency is taking the matter seriously. While the investigation continues, Wray reiterated the dangers faced by public figures today, stating, “It is, quite frankly, a dangerous time to be a prominent public official.” Despite exhaustive efforts to uncover Crooks’ motive, Wray noted, “The shooter may be deceased, but the FBI’s investigation is ongoing.”