Butler Township, PA – Newly released body-camera footage from local Pennsylvania police provides a clearer view of the chaos surrounding the attempted assassination of Donald Trump during a rally on July 13.
The videos, released Thursday by the Butler Township Police Department, reveal critical moments of miscommunication and frustration among law enforcement. In one clip, a local officer expresses anger over a security lapse, stating he had alerted the US Secret Service to secure the building from which the gunman eventually fired.
“I told them they need to post guys over there,” the officer says in the footage, which was obtained by the Wall Street Journal. He recounts telling Secret Service agents about the potential threat days before the rally, only to be reassured that the area would be secured.
The rally, held in an open-air venue, turned deadly when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a rooftop just outside the event’s security perimeter. Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle, fired eight shots toward Trump, wounding him in the ear. Trump was swiftly pulled off stage by Secret Service agents.
The footage captures the tense moments as a Butler County officer is hoisted onto a nearby rooftop, where he first spots Crooks. The officer, realizing the gunman is armed, retreats to retrieve a rifle. Within 40 seconds of the officer’s sighting, Crooks fired at Trump.
“He’s got glasses, long hair, a book bag, and an AR-style rifle,” the officer reports over the radio as officers scramble to access the roof. Moments later, Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper team.
The videos also highlight confusion among officers over who was responsible for securing the rooftop. “I thought you guys were on the roof!” one officer exclaims in frustration.
The Secret Service has acknowledged its failure in securing the site and is currently reviewing its procedures. “The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was a US Secret Service failure,” said agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. “We are reviewing and updating our protective policies to ensure a tragedy like this never occurs again.”
The FBI and a bipartisan House panel are also investigating the incident.
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