The Associated Press reported Sunday that police officers encountered the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, before he opened fire on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Crooks pointed a rifle at officers who climbed onto the roof of the building, causing them to climb down ladders and retreat, according to two police officers who spoke on condition of anonymity. Said According to the Associated Press, Crooks then fired a gun at Trump.
Two police officers told The Associated Press that protesters had called police to report a man on the roof of a building near the rally. (Related story: 'They blew his head off': Witness says Trump tried to warn police right before assassination attempt)
Trump's ear was injured during Saturday's assassination attempt, and video shows he raised his fist to signal to the crowd before Secret Service officers hurried him off the stage.
One attendee, identified as former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, was shot and killed Saturday. Two others were seriously injured.
The sheriff speaks @WashingtonPost A local police officer confronted the shooter seconds before the shot was fired, but the officer was holding onto the roof and did not have his gun, so he fell to the ground. https://t.co/hssKOxulkW pic.twitter.com/VeV5tiY2lp
— Isaac Stanley Becker (@isaacstanbecker) July 14, 2024
Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Throop Said The Washington Post reported Sunday that police officers encountered Crooks moments before he opened fire on Trump.
Witnesses told BBC News on Saturday that they noticed a “man crawling up” the building, saw that the man was “clearly” holding a rifle, and tried to warn police about the assassination attempt, but that police responded in a disorganized manner. Witnesses claim that security guards did nothing for several minutes.
“They didn't know what was going on,” an eyewitness told BBC News. “We were like, 'Hey, we're here on the roof, we can see him from here! We can see him'.
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