 There are conflicting reports of whether Crooks used the ladder he purchased earlier that morning at Home Depot to assist him in getting to the roof, but it's likely there's no other way to get up there. CNN's John Miller revealed new details about the gunman. He said earlier in the day Crooks went through Secret Service security line with the range finder and scoped out the snipers who spotted him and said they needed to keep an eye on him.