A local law enforcement officer reportedly encountered the shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump before he started shooting.
Officials who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity claimed a local officer had climbed up to the roof where Thomas Matthew Crooks was lying with his rifle after local law enforcement was tipped off by bystanders about a man climbing onto the roof of a nearby building.
The officer reportedly retreated from the rooftop after Crooks pointed his firearm at the unidentified officer. Moments later, Crooks took shots at Trump, and he was injured after being grazed on his ear. A rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, was also killed during the shooting.
During a press conference following the shooting, Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh office, said he found it “surprising” that Crooks was able to fire multiple shots.
Scrutiny into the Secret Services’s and law enforcement’s security at the Pennsylvania rally is increasing amid concerns that the gunman was able to access the rooftop under 150 yards from Trump’s podium.
Ex-Secret Service agent Dan Bongino said Sunday morning that he believed the agency’s director should be fired for the alarming security breach.
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“[Secret Service agents] are trained out to 1,000 yards in the Secret Service with the counter-sniper team. How did they miss someone at most one-fifth of the way there? It doesn’t make any sense. And even worse, it’s broad daylight on a white roof,” Bogino worried during an interview with Fox News.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for an investigation into Saturday evening’s events and President Joe Biden has ordered an independent investigation into the matter.
