A new report indicates that three snipers were stationed inside the very building the attempted assassin used to fire shots off at former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The attempted assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, managed to pierce Trump’s right ear, narrowly missing his head, before Secret Service killed the shooter. Tragically, one Trump supporter, a 50-year-old father of two named Corey Comparatore, was killed. Two other rally attendees were critically injured.
As part of the security precautions for the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, three “counter-snipers” from Beaver County were stationed inside the building “looking out windows toward the Trump rally,” a CBS report said.
A local outlet called BeaverCountain.com, citing law enforcement sources, said local law enforcement from three counties were tasked with securing the areas surrounding the Secret Service perimeter. Officials said they were short staffed and not prepared to handle such a big undertaking, and notably, no one was stationed on the roof of the building.
The CBS report indicates that one of the snipers saw the would-be assassin looking up at the roof. The suspect then came back a second time and “sat down and looked at his phone,” the outlet reported. One of the snipers took a photo of him due to his suspicious actions. The suspected shooter left, and then came back a third time with a backpack and walked toward the back of the building.
It’s unclear how the shooter accessed the roof of the building, but some officers believe he used an air conditioning unit to help boost him up, the report said. Once on the roof, officers called for backup, but it was too late.
“Stunning new details from CBS News on how secret service snipers noticed the shooter before the Trump rally in Butler, PA on Saturday,” CBS News’ Olivia Rinaldi posted to X, Monday night. “There were three snipers stationed INSIDE the building the shooter was on, according to a local law enforcement officer with direct knowledge.”
“One of the snipers inside saw Crooks outside looking up at the roof observing the building and then disappeared, according to local law enforcement,” she continued. “Then Crooks came back, sat down and was looking on his phone and at that point one of the snipers took a picture of him.”
“Then Crooks took out a range finder and the sniper radio-ed to the command post. Crooks disappeared again and then came back a third time with a backpack. The snipers called in with information that he had a backpack and said he was walking towards the back of the building,” Rinaldi detailed.
“Officers believe that Crooks might have used an air conditioning unit to get on top of the roof. By the time other officers came for backup he had climbed on top of the building and was positioned above and behind the snipers inside the building,” she reported.
“Two other officers who heard the sniper’s call came and tried to get onto the roof. State police started rushing to the scene. But that time a secret service sniper had already killed Crooks, according to the law enforcement officer,” Rinaldi said.
“The officer said also Crooks had an IED in his pocket in addition to the explosive materials in his car. Questions remain about HOW this was possible that several law enforcement officers had eyes on the shooter before and reported his behavior… yet this still happened,” the report added.
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