Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson Releases Timeline of Law Enforcement Tracking Trump Shooter on July 13, 2024

On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) entered into the hearing record a detailed timeline of law enforcement’s awareness of would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, in the hours, minutes, and seconds, leading up to the shooting of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, PA on July 13, 2024.

The timeline features radio communications from local law enforcement as well as media reports and highlights how law enforcement tracked Crooks over 90 minutes and their immediate reaction to the shooting.

Sen. Johnson entered this timeline into the record during a joint Senate committee hearing before members of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Committee on the Judiciary.  There, Sen. Johnson questioned Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Paul Abbate about the security failures at the Trump rally. 

The timeline goes as follows:

 4:26pm—Per media reports, Beaver County officers first notice and send a text in a group chat about an individual later identified as Crooks.

 5:10pm—A local law enforcement sniper positioned in the American Glass Research (AGR) building (AGR sniper 1) first spots Crooks.

 5:14pm—AGR sniper 1 takes two pictures of Crooks.

 5:30pm—According to Acting Director of the Secret Service Ronald Rowe, former President Trump arrives at the Butler rally site.

 5:32pm—AGR sniper 1 observes Crooks looking at his phone and using a rangefinder.

 5:38pm—AGR sniper 1 sends a message to a group of other local law enforcement
snipers working the rally about Crooks.

o Per media reports, AGR sniper 1 includes the pictures he took of Crooks and a description, along with that Crooks was observed using a rangefinder in the
direction of the stage.

 5:40pm—AGR sniper 1 is told to call into command about Crooks.

 5:41pm—AGR sniper 1 sends a description of Crooks and his use of a rangefinder to command over the radio.

 5:45pm—A sniper with Butler County sends the images and description given by AGR sniper 1 of Crooks to one of the Secret Service counter snipers at the rally, including that Crooks was seen using a rangefinder in the direction of the rally stage.

o The Secret Service counter sniper responds, “Roger. I’ll notify teams on AGR side.”

o Acting Director Rowe confirms the Butler County sniper sends the Secret Service counter sniper team leader a text with the images and description of Crooks.

 5:53pm—According to Acting Director Rowe, the Secret Service counter sniper team leader emails the Secret Service counter sniper teams that “local law enforcement [is]
looking for a suspicious individual outside the perimeter, ‘lurking around the AGR building’.”

 6:03pm—Former President Trump takes the stage at the Butler rally.

 6:06pm—According to Federal Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Paul Abbate, video shows Crooks pulling himself onto the AGR building rooftop.

 6:08:20pm—A local law enforcement officer reports over the radio that there is someone on the roof of the AGR building.

 6:08:32pm—A local law enforcement officer reports there is an individual on the roof of the AGR building wearing white shorts.

 6:10:04pm – 6:10:19pm—A rally goer records a video that appears to show Crooks on the roof of the AGR building. In the video, a person can be heard trying to get an
officer’s attention and another person says, “He’s on the roof. Right there.”

 6:11pm—According to media reports, Crooks points his rifle at a local police officer who is boosted onto the roof of the AGR building. The officer subsequently drops from the roof to the ground.

o FBI Deputy Director Abbate’s Congressional testimony confirms this point as well.

 6:11pm—According to Acting Director Rowe, “a member of former President Trump’s protective detail contact[s] their Pittsburgh Field Office to inquire about the radio update that there was an issue local law enforcement was looking into near the perimeter.”

 6:11:03pm—A local law enforcement officer reports over the radio that the individual on the roof of the AGR building is armed and laying down.

o According to FBI Deputy Director Abbate, the officer who reports this is the same local police officer who was boosted on the roof.

 6:11:11pm—A local law enforcement officer reports over the radio that the individual on the roof of the AGR building is armed with a “long gun.”

 6:11:33pm—A local law enforcement officer reports over the radio that shots have been fired from the AGR building roof.

o Media reports place the first shot fired at 6:11:33pm.

 6:11:34pm—According to media reports, two more shots are fired.

 6:11:37pm—According to media reports, additional gunshots are fired.

 6:11:40pm—A local law enforcement officer reports over the radio to lock down all roads.

 6:11:52pm—According to a media report, a final gunshot is heard.

 6:11:52 pm—An “alert tone” is sent over multiple radio channels.

 6:11:57 pm—An “Emergency Traffic only” announcement is sent over multiple radio channels.

 6:12:11 pm—A local law enforcement officer reports over the radio that the shooter is down.

 6:12:18 pm—Command confirms receipt of the radio report that the shooter is down.

 6:12:20 pm—A sheriff’s officer reports on the radio that the shooter is down

In addition to the timeline, Sen. Johnson entered into the record his July 14, 2024 letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and FBI Director Wray requesting a records preservation and documents connected to the security at the Trump rally.

Sen. Johnson also entered into the record his preliminary findings regarding the security failures at the Trump rally.  The July 21, 2024 and July 23, 2024 preliminary findings can be found here and here.