The following incident occurred at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear by a gunman named Thomas Crooks.
Before the attack, Crooks flew a camera drone made by DJI over the rally site, which provided him with an overhead view to plan his assault. Reportedly, Crooks was killed by the Secret Service following the attack.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report about the use of the drone for surveillance. This incident has raised concerns about security failures and whether drone flight restrictions were in place during the rally.
The investigators have recovered a drone and related equipment from Crooks’ vehicle, but the motive behind the assassination attempt remains unknown.
Following the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General has initiated three probes into the Secret Service, one of which is looking into their security measures at the campaign event in Butler.