The sheriff of Butler County has confirmed that an armed officer confronted the would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump on a nearby rooftop shortly before the attack. This incident unfolded over the weekend during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe, speaking to KDKA-TV, a CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh, detailed that a Butler Township officer had a confrontation with shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks before Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump. The Associated Press first broke the news of this confrontation, which occurred after rally attendees alerted police to a suspicious individual on the roof.
Sheriff Slupe defended the officer’s controversial decision to stand down when Crooks aimed his rifle at him. “The officer had both hands on the roof attempting to climb up when the shooter turned his weapon on him. In that moment, the officer wisely let go,” Slupe explained. “People expect officers to perform superhuman feats, but the reality is different. You can’t hold onto a roof with one hand and draw a weapon with the other.”
As the rally commenced, Crooks fired into the crowd, with one bullet grazing Trump’s right ear, causing a visible wound. Secret Service agents promptly shielded Trump from further harm and assisted him off the stage. In a defiant gesture, Trump raised his fist and chanted “fight” as he departed, a moment already being hailed as a pivotal point in his political journey.
Tragically, former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed while protecting his family from the gunfire. Two other individuals sustained serious injuries, and law enforcement neutralised Crooks at the scene. Subsequent investigations revealed explosives in Crooks’s vehicle parked near the rally.
Multiple congressional committees have launched probes into the assassination attempt and the Secret Service’s failure to secure the rooftop. The FBI is leading the investigation in collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies.
Witnesses reported alerting officers to Crooks’s suspicious presence before the shooting. Sheriff Slupe acknowledged that officers had been notified and were in the process of searching for the suspect. He urged for a fair investigation, stating, “The Secret Service has a crucial role in protecting former President Trump, but they don’t operate alone. Local police departments provide essential support.”
Slupe clarified the security arrangements, noting, “The immediate security ring around Trump is managed by the Secret Service, while a secondary, outer ring is manned by local and state police. The assailant was located in that secondary ring.”
