The shocking sequence of events that led to an armed 20-year-old man, with no military training, nearly assassinating former President Donald Trump, is gradually coming into focus.
The man, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to ascend a building heavily guarded by counter-sniper team police in broad daylight, and was only a whisker away from ending the life of the former President.
Crooks was sighted by the police at least twice, 26 minutes before he opened fire on the crowd at a Pennsylvania rally, injuring Trump and two others, and killing a former fire chief, as per sources cited by WPXI. The Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, which had traveled to the Butler County, Pennsylvania, Trump rally from a nearby Pittsburgh suburb, noticed Cooks on the roof, photographed him, and reported it around 5:45 p.m., as reported by WPXI.
In a startling turn of events, Crooks managed to evade confrontation, despite being conspicuously out of place. He secured his rooftop position right under the noses of a local police sniper team stationed inside the building, according to law enforcement sources who spoke to The New York Post. The building, the AGR International Inc. factory located next to the Butler County Farm Fair grounds, was being used by local police as a watch post for snipers to scan for threats as the former president spoke onstage only 130 yards away.
Law enforcement sources revealed that the police were inside the building, but not on the roof, during the shooting. Crooks was able to climb the building unchallenged before firing off up to eight shots with an AR-style assault rifle, grazing Trump in the ear, killing one Trump supporter, and wounding two others. As of Monday night, it was unclear whether any of the local officers, who were tasked with securing the perimeter outside the rally, were able to warn Secret Service agents about the gunman.
The video footage captured at the rally paints a chilling picture of the botched security operation. It includes approximately two minutes of footage that could be remembered as a low point for the Secret Service in the agencys more than 100-year history of protecting US presidents. A multi-feed video montage assembled by MilkBarTV, viewed more than 3.5 million times, shows the attempted assassination play out in real time using clips from several vantage points.
The footage reveals a disturbing reality: rally attendees who spotted the would-be assassin tried repeatedly to alert law enforcement patrolling nearby. Several witnesses told reporters after the shooting that some rally attendees were aware of Crooks presence well before he fired.
One local cop from the Butler Township police did manage to get hoisted onto the roof, and came face to face with the gunman, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The Butler County sheriff defended his failure to stop Crooks, saying the cop was still pulling himself up and had to let go when faced with the weapon.
Law enforcement sources who have served on presidential protection details told The New York Post that Secret Service field offices where events are taking place routinely engage in a budgetary tug-of-war with purse string holders back in Washington. The field offices usually get a fraction of what they ask for, the sources said. This means the agency has to depend on local law enforcement to supplement its resources, and small municipalities typically lack the resources of major cities like New York.
The sources said the failure in Butler could also have been because Crooks position on the farther side of the roof might have placed him just out of sight of the counter-sniper team stationed near Trump. James A. Gagliano, a law enforcement analyst who served on the FBIs elite Hostage Rescue Team and as a senior SWAT team leader, offered some insight into the footage hes seen of the dreaded two minutes.
The investigation obviously just began, but when you look at a rooftop position that was accessible from the ground 130 yards away from a former president, a current presidential candidate, and someone so polarizing is that a place that should have been covered? I would argue yes, he said.
Gagliano said it was absolutely a miracle that Trump survived the attempt on his life, which was thanks in no small part to Crooks poor marksmanship. A shot of 130 yards is something in the business wed refer to as a cake shot, he said. Its something anybody with reasonable marksmanship skills can close their eyes, hold their breath, jerk the trigger and make.
He said although hes saving his ultimate conclusion pending the outcome of the investigation, he called Saturdays debacle a catastrophic, colossal systems failure that will be dissected for years to come.
The video footage from the rally provides a minute-by-minute account of the terrifying incident. The two-minute timer begins with a split-screen of Trump speaking on stage and bystander footage taken near the manufacturing plant building where Crooks was perched with his rifle. The videographer shooting the footage suddenly verbally acknowledges a nearby commotion, apparently sparked by several rally attendees noticing Crooks on the roof. Look, theyre all pointing, he says of the crowds reaction to the unusual and troubling sight.
Seconds later, the camera pans and captures what appears to be a uniformed police officer making his way around the front of the plant building where the 20-year-old gunman was hiding. At this point, more onlookers are crowding around to gawk, chatting about what they saw. Yeah, someones on top of the roof, look! There he is right there, see him? Hes laying down, see him? the videographer asks.
Yeah, hes lying down, a woman says in response. Just before the 17-second mark, Crooks comes into frame for the first time, appearing to be lying on his right side. By 22 seconds in, the crowd nearby is becoming more interested and is gathering closer to take a look, and the scene grows noticeably more tense.
Ten seconds later, the videographer points out Crooks to another male bystander, and at the 34-second mark, Crooks can be seen very clearly altering his position to rest on his stomach. At this moment, with Crooks still visible in the frame and still adjusting his position, a male voice calls out, Officer!
An anxious-sounding woman starts giving play-by-play of what shes witnessing, seemingly while calling out to law enforcement. Come over here, hes on the roof! Hes flat! Right here, hes flat on the roof! Hes standing up now, he went flat on the roof again.
At this point, other members of the crowd can be heard calling out as well, but their voices are indistinguishable. At the 52-second mark, the montage shifts perspective to a single image of Trump, who is still speaking on stage. The video is barely one minute away from the shooting.
When the timer reaches 1 minute, 15 seconds, the view switches to a split-screen, both showing Trump in real time, who calls for a chart to boast about the low illegal immigration numbers under his administration compared to President Bidens.
At a minute, 49 seconds, the camera splits into four simultaneous views two of Trump head-on, one from behind his back, and another view of the original cameraman who noticed Crooks on the roof. A second later, a man in what appears to be an Army uniform complete with green helmet steps into frame and appears to wave at the crowd before disappearing out of frame, walking in the opposite direction of the manufacturing plant building.
At the 1 minute, 55 second mark, a man screams, Hes got a gun! The camera grows increasingly unsteady, but it captures what appears to be a uniformed police officer walking toward the building where Crooks is lying.
At 2 minutes and 1 second, three distinct shots ring out and the scene erupts into chaos. As Trump hits the deck and the Secret Service swarms him, a chorus of blood-curdling screams erupts from the crowd.
At 2 minutes and 8 seconds, a series of rapid gunshots can be heard as the audience continues screaming. Then a few seconds later, a mans voice warns, Hes turning this way, be careful! and a woman shrieks before one final gunshot rings out.
The cameras focus shifts back to the roof, showing Crooks, lying motionless, his body blurred out. The gunman is dead. This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of effective security measures and the potential consequences of their failure. It also raises questions about the allocation of resources and the need for better coordination between different law enforcement agencies. The investigation into this incident is ongoing, and its findings will undoubtedly shape future security protocols.
Login