Terrifying Donald Trump rally helmet footage shows moment cops storm building where Thomas Crooks opened fire on ex-prez
HEART-POUNDING helmet camera footage shows the moment heavily armed police officers raced to the roof where Trump shooter Thomas Crooks unleashed his reign of terror.
The dramatic video showed the moment cops gained access through a police-taped fence and scaled a ladder to find an assault rifle lying next to the body of 20-year-old Crooks.
The helmet footage obtained by ABC, revealed law enforcement officers climbing up a ladder to the roof where Crooks was positioned.
The graphic clip showed the gunman’s body next to the assault rifle he used to injure former president Donald Trump and kill rally attendee Corey Comperatore.
A trail of blood cascaded down the sloped roof as officers knelt to find a device near Crooks’ body.
An officer pulled a phone and a rangefinder from the gunman.
Police also counted at least eight shell cases on the rooftop.
Secret Service members were then heard discussing the evidence and pointed out Crooks’ bike and backpack nearby.
PROTECTION BACKLASH
The newly released footage comes as Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle submitted her resignation following mass calls for her to step down.
The assassination attempt against Donald Trump posed questions about how Crooks was able to access a nearby rooftop with an assault rifle.
Law enforcement officials reportedly spotted him before he made his way onto the roof, but didn’t escort him from the rally.
Secret Service shot him just 26 seconds after he fired however, he still killed one attendee and injured two others.
Republican and Democrat lawmakers questioned how the Secret Service failed to protect Trump, launching a bipartisan hearing into Cheatle’s leadership.
The hearing was heated as Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) accused Cheatle of “dishonesty” and even said she was “full of s**t.”
Rohit Khanna (D-CA) questioned Cheatle on how she could morally remain in her post after an assassination attempt on a former president occurred.
Just a day after the disastrous hearing, Cheatle submitted her letter of resignation addressing the agency’s failure on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
She took full responsibility for the security failures that followed tha assassination attempt, adding, “However, this incident does not define us. We remain an organization based on integrity and staffed by individuals of exceptional dedication and talent.
“As I’ve stated, the Secret Service will move forward with our investigatory and protective mission in a steadfast manner,” she continued.
“We do not retreat from challenge. However, I do not want my calls for resignation to be a distraction from the great work each and every one of you do towards our vital mission.”
Donald Trump Butler Rally Shooting Latest
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet while speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
Donald Trump was not critically injured and is expected to make a full recovery. He has since made his first public appearance after the shooting.
- July 13: Trump was grazed by a bullet from an AR-15-style rifle 430 feet away from where he was delivering remarks to supporters in Butler.
- Trump shared that the bullet tore a piece of his right ear.
- The shooting left rally-goer Corey Comperatore dead and two others injured.
- The FBI identified the would-be assassin as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
- Crooks was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
- July 14: President Joe Biden urged for a cooldown in politics following the attempt on his predecessor’s life.
- Biden launched an independent review into the rally’s shooting and to assess what went wrong.
- July 15: GOP delegates gather at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to formally name Donald Trump as the party’s presidential nominee.
- In a Truth Social post, Trump announced Ohio senator JD Vance as his vice president pick.
- Trump makes his first public appearance since the attempt on his life during the Republican National Convention.
- The Republican presidential candidate, 78, walks into the Fiserv Forum visibly emotional with a white bandage on his right ear.
Shortly after her resignation, Trump reacted on Truth Social, “The Biden/Harris Administration did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy. IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO!'”
President Biden also addressed Cheatle’s resignation in a statement thanking her for her service and promising to appoint a new director soon.
QUESTIONS LOOM
Despite the Congressional hearing into Trump’s assassination attempt, questions still loom over the security lapses.
Separate video footage revealed Secret Service officers discussing Crooks’ identity.
One agent can be heard saying, “So this is the guy,” as an emergency responder replied, “This is him.”
Another report from the Wall Street Journal found that Crooks operated a drone over the rally site just hours after he attempted to assassinate Trump.
The flight path of the drone suggested that he circulated the event site multiple times before the rally began.
Police also believe that Crooks went to the rally site before it began to scope it out.
He was spotted walking among attendees earlier in the afternoon and was scanned for weapons before scaling a nearby rooftop.
It’s still unclear what transpired between the moment he was initially spotted and when he fired his first shots.
A motive has yet to be uncovered.
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