Newly released footage provides a closer look at the law enforcement response to Thomas Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last month. The footage, released by the Butler County Police Department, shows at least five officers trying to locate and reach Crooks in the minutes before he opened fire. This contradicts earlier reports suggesting authorities ignored warnings about an armed man on a rooftop. The footage reveals that officers did indeed spot Crooks and were attempting to reach him. They were seen climbing towards the rooftop just as Crooks fired at Trump. By the time they reached the rooftop, Crooks had been shot and killed by counter-snipers. The videos, covering a seven-minute window, show a three-minute segment starting at 6:08 pm local time, depicting the officers’ efforts to locate and reach Crooks. Five officers are seen converging on the building where Crooks was positioned. One officer stands on a table to get a better view of the roof while four others approach from another side. They then hoist one of the officers to get a look at the rooftop. According to The New York Times, Colonel Christopher Paris of the Pennsylvania police said that this officer made eye contact with Crooks but retreated when Crooks pointed his gun at him. The officer then communicated the situation over the radio, but Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. has said that this information was never relayed to the Secret Service. Following this encounter, the officers run around the building, attempting to approach Crooks from a different direction. Around 6:11 pm, Crooks opens fire. Despite the gunfire, officers continue their efforts to reach the rooftop. One officer is seen flinching and retreating as the shots are heard. Upon reaching the rooftop, they find Crooks dead. In one of the clips, an officer is heard saying he had previously informed the Secret Service about the need for an agent on the building but his request was ignored. “I [expletive] told the Secret Service post a [expletive] guy over here. I told them that [expletive] at the meeting on Tuesday (sic),” the officer says. Another clip, redacted for profanity, reveals an officer stating that someone made a mistake: “I’d say this was a [expletive]. Somebody [expletive],” the officer says. The release of this footage adds to the mounting criticism facing both the Secret Service and the police for lapses in security that allowed Crooks to get within firing range. The footage also shows officers examining a ladder, speculating that it might have been used by Crooks to access the rooftop.
