A Pennsylvania sheriff claimed Tuesday that local officers who thwarted an attempt by Thomas Crooks to assassinate President Donald Trump saved the former president’s life, even though they failed to stop the deranged gunman from pulling the trigger.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Throop stepped up to defend the Butler County police officers who confronted Crooks at Saturday’s rally, and in an interview with The Washington Post, he called online critics “idiots.”
Throop argued that officers called in to back up by the Secret Service during the rally simply came face to face with the shooter, delaying what could have been a much worse outcome for Trump.
“Can you imagine 10 seconds prior to that? The president was looking straight ahead and where that bullet could have landed,” the sheriff said.
When police encountered the would-be assassin, Crooks was on the roof of a manufacturing plant about 130 yards from the stage where Trump was speaking.
The local officer was being lifted by a fellow officer and was hanging from the edge of the roof when Crooks spotted him and pointed an AR-style semi-automatic assault rifle at him.
“Right now, (the shooter) is going after the president. They’re going to breach the roof,” the sheriff said of the two officers. “That could allow the shooter to turn around and eliminate that threat.”
“The officer said, ‘You either die or you fall. You fall,’ and he turned around,” he said of the shooter.
Butler County Manager Tom Knights said the officer lowered his head, lost his grip and fell about eight feet to the ground. NBC News Tuesday.
“When someone points a gun at you and you don’t have a weapon, you tell some idiot on the internet that you’re Superman,” Throop says. “You’re like, ‘I’m gonna pull out my gun and let them shoot me. I don’t care.’ Yeah, I get it.”
Shortly thereafter, Crooks opened fire on Trump, wounding the Republican presidential candidate, killing one rally attendee and wounding two more.
“It’s all about timing now… he turned around, and as we all know, at this point in the speech, the president had clearly looked back to his right and was hit in the ear,” the top cop said.
During his speech, Trump turned his head to look at an immigration chart just as bullets began flying, and he said the sudden move saved his life.
“If I had been disturbed and had moved my gun, then I would have to reevaluate the entire situation at this point. So, yes, you can make the argument that those two officers saved the president’s life,” Throop argued.
Throop heads the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, and the officer who confronted Crooks works for the Butler County Police Department.
After the shooting, the Secret Service blamed local police for failing to secure the rooftop where Crooks opened fire, arguing it was outside the federal perimeter.
A Secret Service spokesman said local authorities were securing the area immediately outside the rally.
But local law enforcement pushed back against the criticism.
“I think the federal government is just shifting the blame onto local police when they’re not responsible,” Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told The Washington Post.
A police sniper team was stationed on the roof of the building from which the gunman opened fire.
Secret Service Agent He told The Washington Post The team was from neighboring Beaver County, sources said. He told WTAE Members of emergency services units and SWAT teams from Beaver and Butler counties were inside the building.
Crooks was seen by officers at least twice, 26 minutes before the shooting began. WPXI Source.
Sloop acknowledged Crooks should not have fired the gun.
“Were there failures? Yes. It would be foolish not to admit failures,” he said, but added that his department had fulfilled the mission it was given.
He said that beleaguered Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle called me and said she “appreciates the work of our office, and of course other local law enforcement officers, and has a high respect for the work we do.”
