


Newly released footage of the local Pennsylvania police’s response to the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump showed officers scrambling to gain access to the roof from which a gunman fired at the former president and expressing frustration about the roof not being properly secured.
New bodycam footage shows police desperately trying to reach the gunman before he fired at former ... [+]
The Butler Township Police Department released body and dashboard camera footage of the moments leading up to the shooting and its aftermath to various media outlets on Thursday.
A clip published by the New York Times shows the gunman, Thomas Crooks, was briefly captured by an officer's body camera while walking on the roof of a building overlooking Trump’s rally just three minutes before the shooting, although it is unclear if the officer was able to spot him at the time.
The clip was captured as officers searched the area after receiving reports that a suspicious person was moving away from the rally.
Another body camera clip showed an officer being hoisted up by his colleague to get a better view of the roof, before dropping down after seeing Crooks after he “turned around on” the officer.
After seeing the Crooks, the officer radios the command post that he is armed with a rifle, but this information reportedly does not reach the Secret Service.
After the shooting, an officer can be heard criticizing the Secret Service for not heeding his advice on posting someone on the roof: “I f**ing told them…Tuesday…They’re like, ‘Yeah, no problem. We’re going to post guys over here.’”
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