As questions swirl over the delayed response to former President Donald Trump’s attempted assassination, new analysis from the Washington Post supposes trees and the sloped barn roof Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from may have obstructed the view of countersnipers.
Using satellite imagery and over 40 photos and videos, the Washington Post developed a 3D model mapping out the shooting site and positions of its key players. Due to the slanted nature of the roof where Crooks made his perch, the outlet concluded that snipers must have experienced an obstructed view of the shooter, only amplified by a thick clump of trees.
These claims made by the outlet were subsequently “reviewed and corroborated” by a handful of military and law enforcement experts: two retired police snipers, a former Secret Service agent and a retired Marine Corps sniper.
During the rally, two teams of Secret Service snipers crouched on a pair of barn roofs directly behind Trump’s podium. According to the 3D model, the line of sight for both Secret Service sniper units may have been blocked by the triangular pitch of the shooter’s roof, rising 3.5 feet toward an angled peak. Crooks reportedly climbed 16.5 feet off the ground with the help of a ladder. Then, the outlet said, by maintaining a low army crawl on his stomach, Crooks was able to reach the spine of the warehouse roof unnoticed.
The northern sniper unit, stationed atop a 23-foot barn around 400 feet from Crooks, may have also found trouble in evaluating his position and level of threat because of a patch of trees in the way. On the other hand, the team on the second barn was located around 550 feet from the shooter and did experience blockage from the tree line.
A slew of videos have recently emerged, capturing what appears to be the snipers acknowledging Crooks prior to his first shot. Around two minutes before he pulled the trigger, the team closest to Crooks disengaged from their binoculars and began clutching their rifles. While it remains unclear when Crooks became a threat, this team could then be seen honing in on their scopes and, when the bullets began, the sniper flinched backward then repositioned his weapon.
The second unit, farther away, reacted similarly by turning in the direction of Crooks before he fired. The team that was successful in neutralizing the shooter is unknown at this time.
John Lawless, a retired sniper for Tulsa police, gave insights to the Washington Post about typical sniper response.
“If they’re on the scope, they’ve been notified of something,” he said.
While trees may have interfered with the Secret Service, the 3D model showed Crooks had a clear shot of Trump at his podium. The warehouse was nearly 400 feet from the former president.
Aerial footage of the roof shows Crook’s body around 40 feet from the edge with a rifle and what looks to be a bag strewn across the path of his crawl. Multiple onlookers reported seeing Crooks as he slinked to his perch, with many calling out to local authorities about a man with a gun.
“He’s got a gun!” someone screamed in a video, “He’s on the roof! He’s got a—” The final word was silenced by the deafening blow of a gunshot.
Along with rooftop snipers and the swarm of grounded officers that tackled Trump, local police also assisted in event security. Previously marked as being outside of the “inner perimeter” area, the warehouse that Crooks climbed had been designated to local Butler County law enforcement.
According to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, a team of local snipers had even been stationed with the building, a floor or two below the gunman. She claimed no one had been stationed on the top of the building because they deemed the slanted roof unsafe for officers.
Derrick Bartlett, a retired SWAT sniper and president of the American Sniper Association, told the Washington Post that the whole situation left a “hole” in security.
“There should have been police officers in the vicinity who could have either denied him access to start with, or instantly respond to the call,” he said.
Before Crooks could fire, a local armed officer attempted to remove him from the building. Michael Sloupe, the Butler County sheriff, told CBS that, having been alerted by attendees, this officer was hoisted onto the roof and tried to climb toward the shooter. Crooks, aware of this, turned his rifle at the officer, causing him to lose his grip and fall from the roof.
Shortly after, at 6:11 p.m., Crooks fired the first shot.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Cheatle released a statement on Monday, hoping to mitigate concern.
“The Secret Service is working with all involved Federal, state and local agencies,” she said, “to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever happening again.”