Police in Pennsylvania have released bodycam footage detailing the harrowing moments leading up to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler last month.
A video obtained by Fox News Digital shows Butler Township Police officers attempting to intercept shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks on a rooftop moments before he began firing at the rally with his AR-15 rifle.
The bodycam video shows one officer hoisting another onto the roof where Crooks was positioned, approximately 12 feet above the ground. As the officer reached the top, Crooks aimed his weapon at him, forcing the officer to duck and lose his grip, resulting in an 8-foot fall and a sprained ankle.
Despite their efforts, the officers were unable to neutralize Crooks before he began shooting. The footage also captures the aftermath, showing Crooks' body after countersnipers fatally shot him.
Three rallygoers were shot during the incident, including 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, who tragically lost his life while protecting his family. David Dutch and James Copenhaver were also injured but have since been released from the hospital and are recovering at home.
The bodycam footage reveals the confusion and frustration among officers on the scene, questioning why the roof Crooks shot from was left unmanned and why the shooter wasn't neutralized before he could open fire.
One officer can be heard saying:
Before you motherf---ers came up here, I popped my head up there like an idiot by myself, dude. Then he turned around and I f---ing dropped, and I started f---ing, I was calling out, 'Bro, f---ing on top of the roof.' F---ing, we're not on the same frequency?
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe acknowledged that video evidence of someone moving along the roof prior to the shooting confirms a "failure" in security. The events leading up to the shooting have been marred by finger-pointing among various agencies at local, state, and federal levels.
Crooks had been at the rally site for approximately 70 minutes on the morning of the assassination attempt, according to testimony from FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Local law enforcement spotted Crooks around 5:10 p.m., roughly 50 minutes before Trump was scheduled to take the stage.
In the hours leading up to the shooting, Crooks flew a drone about 200 yards from where Trump would be speaking. However, the FBI reported that no photos, videos, or memory cards were found in the drone.
At 5:30 p.m., local law enforcement escalated a picture of Crooks to command, noting his possession of a range finder and recommending that Secret Service snipers be notified. Tragically, Crooks opened fire on rallygoers at 6:12 p.m. and was subsequently killed by a counter-sniper.
The release of this bodycam footage provides a chilling insight into the events surrounding the assassination attempt on former President Trump. As the investigation continues, questions remain about the security measures in place and the coordination among law enforcement agencies tasked with protecting the former president and the public.
