Emerging details about the moments leading up to the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump revealed how many times the suspect had been seen before shots were fired.
Since Saturday’s tragedy in Butler, Pennsylvania, many experts have weighed in about the failures that must have occurred for 20-year-old Thomas Crooks to have been able to shift into position and shoot at the president, ultimately killing attendee Corey Comperatore.
While initial reports from eyewitnesses include lamenting as to how they were seemingly ignored in drawing attention to the would-be assassin, local law enforcement told multiple news outlets that they had in fact seen the suspect at least three times prior to the attempt on Trump’s life, over the span of nearly 30 minutes.
According to BeaverCountian.com, three snipers were stationed within the building the suspect had climbed atop to take his shot, a detail corroborated by an officer to CBS News.
The former detailed, “A Beaver County police officer warned a command center of seeing a man with a rangefinder before former President Donald Trump was shot on Saturday. The officer had also warned the man was scoping out the roof of the building he was stationed in as a counter-sniper, and that the man returned with a backpack before ultimately scaling the building.”
“There were three counter-snipers located in the building that the shooter eventually used to take shots at Trump,” one officer told the BeaverCountian.
Meanwhile, CBS News reported how one of the snipers took a picture of Crooks when he was spotted a second time, “Crooks disappeared again and then came back a third time with a backpack. The snipers called in with information that he had a backpack and said he was walking towards the back of the building,” read the report.
The first sighting of the suspect by law enforcement was at 5:45 p.m., nearly 30 minutes before Trump was wounded as he ducked down to avoid further injury, according to sources at WPXI. Before the first shot was fired, an officer had climbed the roof in response to the final radio report from the sniper team and encountered Crooks only to retreat when the suspect’s weapon was said to have been turned on the officer, the Associated Press reported.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe confirmed the interaction to KDKA-TV and stated, “All I know is the officer had both hands on the roof to get up on the roof, never made it because the shooter had turned towards the officer, and rightfully and smartly, the officer let go.”
“I would have done the same thing, absolutely,” Slupe said. “I mean, people think the officers are supermen like you hold on the roof with one hand while you are hanging on for dear life and pull a gun out. It doesn’t work that way.”
As more details emerged amid growing cries for accountability, the Secret Service released a statement praising local partners for their work Saturday, “Our agency, composed of dedicated professionals, many from state & local departments, cannot fulfill our mission without the support of courageous police officers. We are deeply grateful to the officers who ran towards danger to locate the gunman and to all our local partners for their unwavering commitment. Any news suggesting the Secret Service is blaming local law enforcement for Saturday’s incident is simply not true.”
To that point, independent journalist Michael Shellenberger remarked, “Few are questioning the courage or bravery of the officers. Many are questioning the competency of your director.”
Few are questioning the courage or bravery of the officers. Many are questioning the competency of your director.
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) July 16, 2024
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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