Cop spotted Trump attacker on roof, retreated after seeing he had rifle

Mangalore Today News Network

Unites State, July 15, 2024: The man who tried to assassinate former US President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally was spotted by the cops before he fired shots, according to a report by the Associated Press. A cop climbed the roof where the attacker was crawling, but retreated after the gunman pointed his rifle at him, the report claims.

The gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was perched atop a roof near the rally event. Many rallygoers pointed the cops towards Crooks, triggering a frantic search.

Two law enforcement officials who spoke to the Associated Press said the gunman had his father’s AR-style rifle.

A local law enforcement officer climbed to the roof and found Crooks, who pointed the rifle at the officer. The officer then retreated down the ladder, and the gunman quickly fired toward Trump, the officials said.

Crooks was later gunned down by US Secret Service agents at the rally.

Questions abounded about how the gunman could have gotten so close in the first place.

Kevin Rojek, the agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s Pittsburgh field office, told AP, "it is surprising" that the gunman was able to open fire on the stage before the Secret Service killed him.

Meanwhile, the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania was being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former President and presumptive Republican nominee, law enforcement officials told AP.

FOOTAGE EMERGES

Earlier, a dramatic video emerged showing the swift response of Secret Service snipers who shot the gunman.

The footage captured the moment two Secret Service snipers stationed on a roof near Trump quickly took aim and opened fire on the gunman.

Following the attack, nine shots rang out, and Trump ducked for cover before being surrounded by Secret Service agents, video from the event showed.

ATTACKER’s MOTIVE REMAINS UNCLEAR

In the wake of the shooting that killed one spectator, investigators are hunting for any clues about what may have driven Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to carry out the shocking attack.

The FBI said they were investigating it as a potential act of domestic terrorism, but the absence of a clear ideological motive by the man shot dead by the Secret Service allowed conspiracy theories to flourish.

The FBI said it believes Crooks, who had bomb-making materials in the car he drove to the rally, acted alone.

Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to target Trump.