Newly released body camera video reveals the chaotic law enforcement response to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump last month.
The footage obtained by NPR shows what was seen by the local officer who encountered the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, moments before the shooter opened fire at the July 13 rally in Butler, Penn.
The video shows the officer's point of view as he runs toward the building where the gunman had taken position on the roof. A fellow officer hoists him up, and the officer peeks over the roof.
The encounter lasts just a split second, then the officer immediately drops back down, hits the ground and runs to the other side of the building.
The video has no audio, because the officer, at this point, didn't activate his body cam and it was only recovered after the fact, the Butler Township Police Department said.
A timeline from law enforcement indicates that moments following this encounter the gunman began shooting.
About a minute passes while the officer runs from his encounter with the shooter, to the side of the building and back to his car to load a long gun he has in his back seat. At this point the officer hits record on his body camera and audio begins. The officer, whose name was not released, then directs other arriving officers on the scene.
The officer who encountered the shooter recounts to arriving law enforcement: “This close. Bro, dude, he turned around on me.”
Another officer asks where the shooter is. The officer who saw him says, “He’s straight up! Right where you picked me up, bro? He was on that left side.”
He describes the gunman having “glasses, long hair. He’s got a book bag, he’s got mad s***.”
As he is doing this his body camera captures a number of law enforcement officers attempting to reach the roof. Shouts for a ladder can be heard while other officers are trying to hoist each other onto the rooftop.
Officers continue to shout over each other for several minutes and some officers make it onto the rooftop.
A 50-year-old former fire chief, Corey Comperatore, was killed and two other rally-goers were seriously wounded in the attack. Trump was struck in the ear.
The shooter was killed by the Secret Service.
In the aftermath, one video captures another local police officer wondering out loud why no law enforcement had been stationed on that roof.
That question is still unanswered as law enforcement, including the Secret Service, cite an ongoing investigation. In late July, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her post following criticism of the agency's handling of the incident from members of Congress.
The Butler Township Police released a number of videos in response NPR's records request. The videos shed more light on police actions during the shooting, but they don't offer any more details on the actions of the gunman, who is still an enigma to the general public.
New documents released Thursday by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office offer a little more insight into the gunman's activities prior to the shooting. Grassley's office collected logs from the Clairton Sportsmen's Club, which the shooter joined on Aug. 10, 2023 — less than a year before opening fire on the rally in Butler. The logs show that the gunman visited the range a total of 43 times, focusing most of his time on rifle range practice. They also show he made one final visit to the club on July 12 — the day before the shooting.
Footage shows the immediate aftermath of the gunman’s killing
The officer who first encountered the gunman on the roof volunteers to be lifted back up there by other officers struggling to get up, according to the footage.
On the rooftop, he joins three police officers — at least two of whom are heavily armed wearing camouflage, vests, boots and long guns — who surround the shooter's body. One officer keeps his gun trained on the body.
A long trail of what appears to be blood can be seen.
One officer handcuffs the gunman and turns him over as they wait for more officers to arrive.
A backpack can be seen near the body.
One of the officers in camo says near the end of the 26 minute long video, “So much for a picture with Trump.”
Other videos capture confusion at different points
Additional footage released by the Butler Township Police capture officers at different points across the fairgrounds and during the aftermath of the shooting.
A nearly 22 minute long video shows the vantage point from the back of the rally grandstands, just behind where Trump was speaking. The video has no audio, but the footage offers a hauntingly silent look at the chaos that unfolded once the shooting began.
The officer takes cover and does not run to respond to the shooting. It’s unclear what his orders were or what he says to other officers around him also milling about with their guns drawn.
About six and a half minutes into the video, a group of officers carry an injured person by each limb and disappear into a white tent behind the grandstands.
A separate video from an officer outside the building where the gunman fire from underscores the confusion even among law enforcement early on.
One officer says, “I thought it was you! I thought you guys were on the roof!" He swears seemingly in frustration and asks, "Why are we not on the roof?"
Later he laments, “Whenever they saw him … they should have called us earlier.”
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