Judicial Watch said newly released FBI records include a witness account that a SWAT officer recovered a gray remote device with an antenna and a cellphone from Thomas Crooks’ pocket after the July 2024 Butler rally shooting.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Newly released FBI records obtained through a Judicial Watch lawsuit include an interview summary from a first responder who said a SWAT officer found a gray remote device with an antenna in the pocket of Thomas Crooks after the July 2024 assassination attempt against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Judicial Watch announced that it obtained 48 heavily redacted pages from the Federal Bureau of Investigation through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The records, according to the group, include an account that a Special Weapons and Tactics officer recovered a “gray remote device” with numerical push buttons and an antenna from Crooks’ pocket after he was killed.
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The records also state that a Beaver County Emergency Services Unit medic told the FBI she was on the roof of the American Glass Research building examining Crooks’ body when she was informed that a police canine had “hit” on the building. She said she and others were then told to evacuate the roof, leaving Crooks’ body there.
Judicial Watch filed its July 2025 lawsuit after the FBI failed to respond to a July 2024 FOIA request seeking all records related to Crooks and the assassination attempt on Trump. The request covered investigative files, interview summaries, reports, communications, media, database records and any FBI communications involving FBI personnel, sources, contractors or assets and Crooks. The case is listed as Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:25-cv-02216).
The central account appears in a July 17, 2024, FD-302 interview summary from a Beaver County Emergency Services Unit first responder. The first responder told investigators she was at the Butler County fairgrounds for the Trump rally to provide medical backup for the ESU team or any police response. She arrived at 9 a.m. and was positioned near the spectator screening area.
According to the FBI summary, the Beaver County ESU team was given two Butler County radios to monitor two channels, including patrol. The Beaver County ESU commander was notified to move, and the team prepared to relocate. The first responder said the team also knew that its sniper element had reported a questionable subject in the area who could not be located.
The first responder said she was in a Beaver County ESU Bearcat vehicle with the rest of the team. The vehicle initially stopped at the command post and then moved toward the first victim, positioning itself between the victim and the crowd. A Butler County medic was already with the victim, and the first responder said she did not move in because three health care providers were already assisting. She then began looking for others who might need medical help.
The first responder said she did not have access to Butler County radios and only had a Beaver County radio. She did not recall who told her, but she said there were reports that medical help was needed at the American Glass Research facility. She coordinated with others to obtain operator support to move from the stage area to the facility.
The group passed through a small space between a fence separating the fairgrounds from the American Glass Research property. The first responder said she was told there may have been multiple operators down, a possible shootout and that the shooter was down. She encountered a uniformed officer who said support was needed on the roof. She then used a black collapsible ladder to reach the roof.
The FBI summary states that at 6:23 p.m., the first responder arrived on the roof and did not see any officers down. She was told by others on the roof to evaluate the shooter. She observed injuries that she described as not survivable, checked the carotid pulse on the right side and found none. She pronounced Crooks dead at 6:25 p.m.
The first responder described Crooks as lying prone, face down and handcuffed with flex-cuffs. The rifle was off to his left. She saw medical supplies near the body, though she said they did not belong to her. She reported that two Butler County SWAT officers, one Washington County SWAT officer and one uniformed Butler County officer were on the roof with her.
According to the FBI interview summary, “The Washington County SWAT officer checked the shooter’s right pocket and discovered a gray remote device with numerical push buttons and an antenna and a cell phone.”
The first responder also told investigators that explosive ordnance disposal personnel came onto the roof to inspect the gray remote device. She recalled being told that a canine had “hit” on the building beneath them and that they were ordered to evacuate the roof. Crooks’ body remained there.
She said she did not know when the body was moved. She received a body bag from Butler County EMS and later gave it to someone from either the FBI or the U.S. Secret Service, though she did not recall which agency. She said she left the scene after 1 a.m. on July 14, 2024, and participated in a Butler County ESU team debrief on July 15.
The first responder also told investigators she had not attended the 9 a.m. operations briefing and believed Butler County had coordinated with Allegheny Health Network to have a physician and medical tent on site. She said she did not know who was in charge of the event’s medical response.
“Our federal lawsuit continues to force the release of new information from the assassination attempt at the Butler rally,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “The American people deserve full transparency about Thomas Crooks, his contacts, and why key details about this case remain hidden nearly a year later.”
Judicial Watch noted that an initial version of its release, published June 5, said the heavily redacted records showed email communications between Crooks and a Butler County Sheriff’s Office deputy. The group said that after further review of additional information that had been hidden by the FBI, it updated the press release.
The new release follows several other Judicial Watch records fights related to Trump security incidents and the Butler shooting. In May 2026, Judicial Watch said it received an audio recording of a 911 call placed by the father of Thomas Crooks, who is alleged to have attempted to assassinate Trump at about 6:11 p.m. during the July 13, 2024, campaign rally.
In February 2026, another Judicial Watch lawsuit forced the first FBI records about the Butler assassination attempt, revealing that law enforcement personnel had broadcast radio warnings about an “unknown male acting suspiciously” before the shooting.
In April 2026, Judicial Watch sued the Department of Homeland Security for records tied to an Aug. 31, 2025, incident in which a club member allegedly carried a loaded semiautomatic handgun past Secret Service screening checkpoints at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia while Trump was on site.
That same month, Judicial Watch said another FOIA lawsuit forced the release of FBI records showing that Crooks reportedly was involved in an altercation with a group of people and made “hateful comments” directed at Trump in Butler.
In December 2025, Judicial Watch sued the U.S. Secret Service for communications records related to Code Pink protesters who disrupted a dinner held by Trump at a Washington, D.C., restaurant on Sept. 9, 2025. That case is Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:25-cv-04408).
In September 2025, Judicial Watch filed a FOIA lawsuit seeking messages among top FBI leaders referencing social media posts by Special Agent Jeffrey Veltri, head of the Miami Field Office, which is investigating the Sept. 15 assassination attempt against Trump. That case is Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:24-cv-02740).
In March 2025, Judicial Watch sued the Department of Homeland Security for records related to security provided for the July 13, 2024, rally in Butler. The case is Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:25-cv-00704).
In August 2024, Judicial Watch said it uncovered documents from the Butler County district attorney’s office detailing extensive local police preparations for the rally, including sniper teams, counterassault teams and a quick response force.
Also in August 2024, Judicial Watch obtained bodycam footage from the Butler Township Police Department showing events from July 13.
Later that month, after reports that the Biden Secret Service had denied Trump requests for added protection, Judicial Watch filed another FOIA lawsuit seeking Secret Service and related records regarding potential increased protective services for Trump’s security detail before the attempt on his life. That case is Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:24-cv-02495).
The latest FBI release adds a new witness account to the public record surrounding the Butler rally, including the reported discovery of a remote device and cellphone on Crooks, the response of explosive ordnance personnel and the evacuation of the roof after a police canine reportedly alerted on the building.
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