Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – A local Republican volunteer who helped set up for and then attended former President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last weekend, said he and other activists raised concerns about security at the venue the night before.
Zach Scherer, a volunteer firefighter from Chicora, a short drive northeast of the Butler Farm Show, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he was sitting in the third row behind Trump at the top of the stairs when the former president was injured and fellow firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed.
“Friday night, going back just a day, there was a group of us volunteering with the Trump campaign to help set up the rally, which included setting up barricades, setting up the stage and other tasks necessary to make this event a success,” Scherer said.
As parents’ relationship comes to light, neighbor claims Trump shooter’s family had no political signs in their yard
Zach Scherer, who attended the rally and helped organize it, told Fox News Digital: (Fox News Digital)
“We toured the site on Friday night at 7 p.m. and expressed multiple concerns to State Republican Party staff about the security issues we saw, including parking and the numerous barricades set up in the area.”
“Any safety concerns we raised on Friday night were harshly dismissed and none of our questions or concerns about safety on the matter were answered,” he added.
Scherer said he has volunteered at at least 20 Trump rallies and that whenever safety or logistical concerns were brought to the attention of the party or law enforcement, they were always resolved before the rally began.
“There was always a change on the day of the meeting. [Butler] It was the first time I’d arrived since Friday night at 7:30 Saturday morning to find nothing had changed. [AM]”
Scherer said campaign advance teams are often made up of Secret Service agents, paid staff and state party staff.
Asked further about how volunteers might voice such concerns, Scherer said state party volunteers and field workers are typically the point of contact, but it was unclear where in the chain of command the communication breakdown occurred.
Trump ‘looking forward to’ attending Republican National Convention despite assassination attempt
Donald Trump was hurriedly escorted off the stage by U.S. Secret Service agents after suffering a bullet wound during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to both the Pennsylvania Republican Party and the Pennsylvania State Police for comment. An officer who answered the phone at the Butler County police department directed Fox News Digital to a lieutenant at the department’s Harrisburg headquarters, where a message was left.
Scherer added that the preamble to the rally had an air of “disorder.”
“There were a number of concerns about the venue, that it wasn’t big enough, that it had too many doorways, that it had too many open areas in the roof, and, you know, all of those were pointed out to the volunteer team, but I don’t know if their concerns were not addressed or if that information was ever conveyed to the Secret Service or the State Police.”
Four years earlier, Trump held a fondly remembered rally in Butler on Halloween, with a stage decked out in pumpkins and other fall decorations.
Scherer said another difference between the two events is that the 2020 location was Butler Airport, which made it feel much safer both in the preparation and during the rally itself.
Members of the crowd duck under chairs after former President Donald Trump was escorted off the stage during a campaign rally at Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Trump ducked and was escorted off the stage after a loud bang was heard early in his speech. (Javin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
He said he noticed the airport venue didn’t have many entrances and that Secret Service snipers and officers could be seen in two rooftop-like areas visible from the podium.
He said he was able to drive directly to the stage when he arrived to set up on Friday, adding: “Anyone could have been on the premises all week planning other types of disruptions like what Mr Crooks did.”
Authorities have identified Thomas Crooks, 20, as the gunman at Saturday’s rally.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump was hurriedly escorted off the stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“We also feel there should have been greater security in place around access to the agricultural show grounds throughout the week.”
Scherer also spoke about the death of Corey Comperatore, whom he never knew personally but felt a bond with as they were both volunteer firefighters for the county.
He spoke to Fox News Digital from outside a vigil for a 50-year-old man who is being hailed as a hero for defending his family during Crooks’ attack.
“One of the sobering things is we all came together and thought it was going to be a fun, lively time, and unfortunately Corey lost his life and all of his brothers in the fire department will be gathering tomorrow for the funeral procession,” he said.
“And, you know, this is really heartbreaking for the community here in Butler County.”
As the gunfight broke out on Saturday, Scherer said he saw Trump “fall” and then get up covered in blood.
“I immediately dropped to the ground and said, ‘Dad, I need to get down,'” he said, adding that he pulled his father away from further gunfire because he didn’t immediately know where the gunfire was coming from.
He said the Secret Service ordered evacuations, leading to a “landing of people” as people flocked to flee the danger.
Fox News’ Kyle Schmidtbauer contributed to this report..
