BUTLER, Pennsylvania — Local police body camera footage showing suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks seconds before he opened fire on former President Trump and other attendees of a Pennsylvania political rally last month is on the verge of being released, Fox News Digital has learned.
The footage, expected to be released Thursday, appears to capture the moments before a Butler Township Police Department officer climbed onto the roof where Crooks was stationed and fired a DPMS AR-15 rifle, striking President Trump in the ear, killing Corey Comperatore and wounding two others.
Butler Township Police Department Acting Chief Matthew Pearson told Fox News Digital that the footage is being prepared for release and will provide a clearer picture of the seconds leading up to the deadly shooting on July 13.
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Sniper photograph of Thomas Matthew Crooks. (Senator Ron Johnson’s Office)
Another officer helped hoist the officer onto the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building after some in the crowd pointed and yelled that there was a suspicious man with a gun on the roof.
Butler County Mayor Thomas Knights previously told Fox News Digital that the officers were able to grab the edge of the building’s roof, which was 12 feet above the ground. Once they were lifted up, they found a “confirmed armed individual” on the roof who “pointed his firearm at the officers,” Knights said.
When Crooks pointed his gun at the officer, the officer bowed his head, lost his grip on the edge of the roof and fell about eight feet to the ground, spraining his ankle, the town manager said.
Pearson told local media that the officers were unable to draw their weapons because they were hanging from the building.
Seconds later, Crooks opened fire.
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On July 13, a bloodied former President Trump was surrounded by Secret Service agents as he was escorted off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
Butler County Sheriff Michael Sloop, however, New York Post In the aftermath of the shooting, the officers who stopped Crooks likely provided enough of a distraction to save Trump’s life.
“If I was interrupted and I moved my gun, then at this point I would have to reevaluate the entire situation. So, yes, you can make the argument that those two officers saved the president’s life,” Throop told the outlet.
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“Timing is everything,” Throop said, adding that the shooter’s interference miraculously bought Trump the seconds he needed to turn his head so the bullet struck only his ear.
“Can you imagine 10 seconds before that,” the sheriff asked, “the president was looking straight ahead and where that bullet landed?”
Details of what actually happened that day and the security breaches that led to the shooting have been obscured by finger-pointing among various agencies at the local, state and federal levels.
In particular, then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was heavily criticized for failing to regularly brief the public and ultimately resigned.
There has also been a fierce battle between the Secret Service and local police over who is to blame for the shooting.
Two FBI agents search the roof of the AGR International building adjacent to the Butler Fairgrounds, where suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on former President Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
News of the impending release of the body camera footage also comes after Butler County denied a Fox News Freedom of Information Act request to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, which is a separate agency from the Butler County Police Department, to turn over body camera footage and radio communications.
The Butler County Emergency Services Unit also assisted with security efforts that day, along with Beaver and Washington County ESUs.
Butler County told Fox News that “helmet and body camera footage of all Butler County police officers actively working at the scene” is not in the possession, custody and/or control of Butler County, according to the Butler County Sheriff, and therefore that portion of the request is denied pursuant to Section 705 of the Right to Know Act.”
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Butler County also noted that radio communication between agencies is prohibited, at least while the investigation is ongoing.
Fox News’ Steven Sorellice and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
