Local police officers reportedly encountered the gunman moments before he shot former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The two law enforcement officers Associated Press (AP) Local police officers encountered a gunman, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said. Identified He has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
The Associated Press reported that a law enforcement official agreed to speak to the outlet “on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.”
Local police officers reportedly climbed onto the roof of a nearby building and said Crooks had a direct line to the former president.
An unnamed official said that when he encountered Crooks, he climbed down a ladder and “immediately opened fire on Trump,” according to the Associated Press.
on the other hand, The Washington Post Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Throop reported that Crooks had been “confronted by city police officers who were unable to neutralize him” “seconds before” the gunman opened fire on Trump. Said “He never said that,” KDKA-TV reporter Jennifer Borrasso countered.
New details in Trump assassination attempt: The Butler County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that an armed Butler County police officer encountered the shooter, Thomas Crooks, before the shooting. That officer and other officers had previously detected a suspicious person and had begun a search. translation: @CBS News pic.twitter.com/lzG5q3Lgph
— Jennifer Borrasso (@JenBorrasso) July 14, 2024
“How do we know it was seconds?” Throop said. “First of all, I never said that. How do we know it was face-to-face? All I know is that the officer had his hands up trying to get onto the roof. He was unsuccessful, because the shooter was facing the officer and the officer, naturally and wisely, took his hands off.”
After the shooting, Trump said he was hit by a “penetrating bullet” above his “right ear.”
