Donald Trump's would-be assassin wrote a haunting message on an online gaming platform before the shooting.
On July 13, the former president of the United States survived an assassination attempt that killed one of his supporters and wounded two others during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The shocking event took place six minutes into the 78-year-old's speech. Videos shared online show the moment several armed security forces jumped onto the podium to protect the Republican nominee from the bullets.
The shooter has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, and the FBI is investigating his specific motive.
After Crooks fired at Trump, the Secret Service shot him dead within 26 seconds. The former president survived with just a minor injury to his ear.
However, the tragic event left a man named Corey Comperatore dead, while two other victims, 57-year-old David Dutch of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, were both shot and are now in stable condition.
According to Fox News, U.S. senators revealed that the 20-year-old shared a chilling message on Steam, a popular platform where gamers purchase games and communicate, before the attempted assassination took place.
He allegedly wrote: "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." He also reportedly searched for more information about the rally, President Joe Biden, and the Democratic National Convention.
In addition to this, the FBI also discovered that Crooks had two cell phones, the second of which was found at home with only 27 contacts. He also visited the site of Trump's rally at least one time before the shooting, sources added.
The Secret Service has faced scrutiny over security failures that led to the shooting at the rally.
According to BBC, lawmakers in the House and Senate have claimed that Crooks was seen as "suspicious" by the SS before he began firing shots.
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso alleged: “He was identified as a character of suspicion because [he had] a rangefinder as well as a backpack. And this was over an hour before the shooting actually occurred," the outlet cited.
“So, you would think over the course of that hour, you shouldn't lose sight of the individual," he added.
Several senators have demanded the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.
"The egregious security failures and lack of transparency around the assassination attempt on President Trump demand an immediate change of leadership at the Secret Service," Utah Senator Mike Lee wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson also called for Cheatle to be released from the job and announced that he plans to open an investigation in the House.
"It'll be comprised of Republicans and Democrats to get down to the bottom of this quickly, so the American people can get the answers that they deserve," he added.
Authorities have still not determined a motive, ideology, or set of political views that may have led to the shooting.
The ex-president is expected to give his first keynote speech tonight (July 18), days after the horrific event.
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