More details are emerging about what happened in the lead-up to the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a shocking report indicates that law enforcement spotted the shooter with a rangefinder before the attack but ultimately did nothing to stop him.
NBC's affiliate in Pittsburgh, WPXI, reported that officers on the ground from neighboring Beaver County Sheriff's Office's Emergency Services Unit first noticed the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, nearly half an hour before he opened fire on Trump and rally attendees.
One local law enforcement officer who was directly involved in the incident said that three snipers from local tactical teams who were supporting the Secret Service were stationed inside the same building that the shooter climbed on top of to carry out his attack. They were positioned inside looking out the windows toward the stage and scanning the crowd.
One of these local snipers reportedly saw Crooks outside the building where he would later carry out his assassination attempt, looking up at its roof. This officer said that Crooks observed the roof and then disappeared before later returning, sitting down nearby and looking through his phone. His suspicious behavior prompted one of the local snipers to take a photo of him.
What happened next was even more suspicious; Crooks was seen looking through a rangefinder. This is a type of equipment that marksmen use to determine how far away a target is from them. Upon seeing this, the sniper radioed to their command post and tried to pass along the photo of Crooks. It is not known whether the command post that was set up to streamline communications between local officers and the Secret Service ever received the alert, however.
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Although the officer then lost track of Crooks temporarily, he returned a third time not long afterward carrying a backpack. At this point, the team of snipers called for backup and informed the command post that the suspicious man was walking toward the back of the building.
Unfortunately, by the time other local officers came in to provide backup, Crooks had already made his way onto the top of the building, where he was situated above and behind the local snipers who were inside.
Multiple security failures created a dangerous situation
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told Pittsburgh CBS News affiliate KDKA that a Butler Township officer was hoisted onto the roof by a different officer, but when Crooks pointed his rifle at the officer, he let go and fell off the roof. Just moments afterward, Crooks started firing into the crowd.
Officials now believe that the 20-year-old gunman scaled the roof with help from an air conditioning unit. Initial reports indicate he acted alone, but an investigation is ongoing. Rudimentary bomb-making materials were recovered from his home and vehicle and are being analyzed by the FBI.
Although some have accused the Secret Service of shifting the blame for the incident to local law enforcement, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted in an interview with ABC News that she was responsible for the security failures and that the incident never should have happened.
She stated: "The shooter was actually identified as a potential person of suspicion. Unfortunately, with the rapid succession of how things unfolded, by the time that individual was eventually located, they were on the rooftop and were able to fire off at the former president."
She also claimed they chose not to put snipers on that particular roof because it was sloped and considered potentially dangerous, and that’s why it was secured from the inside – although she seems to be operating with a very loose definition of “secure”.
It’s hard to believe that a suspicious man scoping out the building, pulling out a rangefinder, and coming back with a backpack wasn’t enough to warrant immediate action – and it’s not surprising that so many questions are being asked right now about just how much those in charge cared about ensuring Trump’s security.
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