HARRISBURG — New police body cam footage shows the dramatic moment a local Pennsylvania police officer saw a shooter on the roof just before the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump last month.
A dozen body- and dash-camera videos obtained by Spotlight PA from the Butler Township Police Department show the sequence of events as seen by local officers from 6 p.m. July 13, just 11 minutes before the shooting, until about 8 p.m.
The footage also includes local law enforcement complaining that the Secret Service did not put personnel on the roof used by Thomas Crooks — who injured Trump and two rally goers, while killing another — and saying they requested the coverage days before the event.
Before the shooting
At just after 6 p.m., video with no audio shows a Butler Township police officer driving in his squad car for about 10 minutes before arriving at the ARG building where Crooks was perched. The officer hops out of the vehicle and makes his way toward a chain-link fence behind the building, where spectators are lined up and facing the rally stage about 100 yards away.
The officer points in the direction of the building and approaches another police officer, who clambers atop a picnic table for a better vantage point. After backing up for a few seconds to get a better view of the roof, the officer makes his way back around the building toward the parking lot.
At about 6:10 p.m., the officer meets up with another member of the Butler Township Police Department and gestures that he needs a boost onto the roof. With both hands and a boost from his colleague, the officer pulls himself high enough to peer over the edge, where he sees Crooks off-camera, and drops back down within seconds.
Thirty-seven seconds later, Crooks fires.
In the aftermath, officers scramble, calling for backup and yelling at the spectators to leave the area. Radios clamor with calls for ambulances and sirens ring in the distance. A man on horseback carrying a flag can be seen galloping out of frame.
Once audio kicks in, the township officer who saw Crooks yells to responding tactical units in camouflage to tell them where he saw the shooter.
“He’s laying down,” he tells other officers. “He’s got glasses, long hair.”
“He’s got a bookbag. He’s got mad shit. [Automatic rifle], laying down. He’s laying down prone, bookbag next to him.”
Once atop the roof, police wearing tactical gear and carrying rifles gather around Crooks's body. The officer who first saw Crooks vents to the others: “Before you [expletive] came up here, I popped my head up there like an idiot."
In other videos, officers on the ground gather civilians who witnessed the shooting, shepherding them into squad cars for further questioning and witness statements.
Secret Service complaints
About ten minutes after the shooting, local law enforcement standing in the parking lot and guarding the building questioned why there weren’t officers on the roof during the event and expressed frustration that the Secret Service didn’t heed their warnings about the building earlier in the week.
“They should’ve called us for help earlier,” one officer says, his camera pointed out toward the parking lot.
Multiple officers toward the back of the building Crooks shot from vented their frustration at the lack of Secret Service protection on the roof.
"I [expletive] told them they needed to post the guys [expletive] over here,” said one officer.
“Who?” asked another officer.
“Secret Service!” the first officer responded. “I told them that [expletive] Tuesday.”
“How the hell can you lose a guy walking back there if there’s someone on the roof?” asked a third officer.
“They were inside.”
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