Chilling new footage has emerged showing would-be assassin Thomas Crooks, 20, dry-firing a handgun in his bedroom, just weeks before he targeted President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The short, disturbing clips reportedly originated online but were later removed following Crooks’ violent attempt, according to Candace Owens’ podcast.
The videos show Crooks in a tactical stance, pointing a handgun at imaginary targets on his bed.
His room is sparsely decorated, save for a Marvel poster, and the 20-year-old wears casual athletic gear.
In another clip, he aims at a sheet of target paper with blue circles, practicing firearm handling with unnerving focus and precision.
Investigators say Crooks’ online footprint revealed a twisted obsession with assassinations, mass shootings, and explosives.
FBI analysis of his laptop revealed Google searches conducted just one week before the attack, including queries like “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” and other mass shooting events, per the New York Post.
Crooks even researched Ethan Crumbley, the Oxford High School shooter who killed four students in 2021.
Despite the dangerous behavior, former FBI Director Chris Wray testified that Crooks was not on the radar of federal law enforcement before his attempt.
The incident