Exclusive: BETHEL PARK, Pa. – Shocking cell phone video shows the chaos at Butler Farms after suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, wounding the former president, killing one spectator and critically injuring two more.
Video footage shows spectators crouching and calling for help from authorities after the shooting stopped.
“Someone’s down,” a man can be heard yelling, waving his arms. “Hey!”
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Police officers stand near the body of attempted assassin Thomas Crooks of President Donald Trump, Saturday, July 13, 2024. The gunman killed at least one person and wounded the former president in the assassination attempt. (Todd the Driller)
As the cameras turned to the stage, Trump, surrounded by Secret Service agents, stood again and pumped his fist.
Todd, an Army veteran who filmed the video and asked to be identified only as Todd the Driller, said he initially offered to take his son to the rally but worried the crowd would be too rowdy.
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She was relieved when her 9-year-old son declined to attend, but he and her 12-year-old daughter both wanted Trump campaign hats, so she ended up going alone.
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Todd arrived early, FaceTimed the kids from the vendor line, they picked out hats, Todd bought them, and then they headed onstage.
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The rally started late, but Trump had secured a good vantage point near the north fence by the time he arrived, he said.
He had been taking photos and videos to send to his son, but his phone was in his pocket when the gunfire erupted and he was listening to Trump’s remarks.
“I didn’t know I was in the line of fire between the shooter and President Trump, but when I heard the crackling noise, I knew what it was,” he said. “It was right behind me, and the bullets were whizzing around about 20 feet to my left.”
A man called for help for someone who was shot by a sniper at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. At least one person was killed and the former president was shot in the ear. (Todd the Driller)
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Neither a Democrat nor a Conservative, Todd said he is a two-issue voter: He’s pro-life, and as an oil driller, he supports lawmakers who support the industry that puts food on the table for families.
Authorities said counter-snipers were able to neutralize the threat before Crooks, 20, killed father-of-two Corey Comperatore, 50, and severely wounded David Duch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Todd took out his cell phone and took a picture of the president rising to his feet, surrounded by Secret Service agents.
But when he turned around to see what was going on behind him, he was shocked: Secret Service and law enforcement agents inside the secure area had to jump the fence to get out, until a deputy sheriff eventually got through the fence and let them out.
“Bewildered law enforcement agencies were unable to do their jobs because no one had the foresight to unlock the gates, post security and regulate entry,” he said.
Fortunately, Secret Service counter-sniper forces neutralized the suspect on the roof before other agents and law enforcement could reach him.
Authorities approached the spot where the suspected gunman fell after the U.S. Secret Service returned fire during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. (Source: Fox News Digital)
Still, the security lapses have prompted widespread criticism of the presidential candidate’s campaign preparations.
Kimberly Cheatle, director of the US Secret Service, acknowledged that Crooks had been called a “potential suspect” even before the assassination attempt.
She said in an interview with ABC News on Tuesday. secret Service The building where Crooks took up a sniper position to shoot Trump was known to have security vulnerabilities, but the decision was made not to station personnel on the roof.
An undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks in his yearbook. Crooks is the alleged gunman behind the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Source: Fox News Digital)
“That building in particular has a sloped roof on the highest part, so, you know, for safety reasons, you don’t want people on a sloped roof, so the decision was made to protect the building from the inside,” she said.
Todd, who escaped injury despite being just steps away from one of the victims, said he was still “on edge” Tuesday.
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“I shouldn’t have been there that day. For some reason, it was something God had planned for me,” he said. “When I went to buy hats for my kids, I never thought I’d walk into history.”
After things settled down, Todd left the house to visit his family.
“I gave each kid a hat,” he said, “and with a silver Sharpie I wrote in little letters on the inside of the bill, ‘7/13/24, With Love, Dad,’ and gave each kid a big hug and a kiss.”
