Trump assassination bid: New video shows Thomas Crooks’ shot was perfectly aimed at Donald’s head | Watch

Days after an assassination attempt on Republican US Presidential nominee Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, newly released footage shows moments leading up to the shooting, revealing how suspect Thomas Crooks had meticulously aimed his shot at the former President's head.

The video shows the gunshot was centered on Donald Trump's head before he tilted his head to look at a screen graphic, leading to the bullet grazing his ear. Donald Trump was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when the gunfire began, killing one and injuring two others.

The footage was captured just seconds before the shot.

Donald Trump's name as the Republican candidate for the US Presidential election was not made official until the assassination bid. Sensing opportunity, even some of his primary rivals exhorted people to rally behind him, blaming opponent Joe Biden for the attack.

A few days before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Joe Biden had said in a rally that “it's time to put Trump in a bullseye.”

“I have one job and that's to beat Donald Trump. We're done talking about the (June 27) debate. It's time to put Trump in the bullseye. He's gotten away with doing nothing for the last 10 days except ride around in his golf cart, bragging about scores he didn’t score…The fact is, he's not answering questions. We cannot waste any more time being distracted," Joe Biden said.

The FBI, probing the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, is still trying to determine the motive behind the shooting. A former fire chief was killed in Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally and two others were wounded. US Secret Service gunmen shot the gunman.

A loner, Thomas Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. An FBI official told reporters that Crooks' family is cooperating with investigators.

Crooks' political leanings were not immediately clear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave USD 15 to a progressive political action committee on January 20, 2021, the day Biden was sworn into office.

(With agency inputs)