A municipal police officer at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania encountered the shooter before the assassination attempt but retreated, according to The Washington Post.
Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe told the outlet that the officer inspected the roof after an unnamed law enforcement agency requested identification of a “suspicious individual” at the rally, the Post reported.
After the officer pulled himself up high enough to see onto the roof of a building near the rally, the shooter, now identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, turned around and aimed his gun at the officer, prompting him to drop back to the ground, the outlet said.
Slupe said the officer did not have a gun in his hand at the time because he was holding onto the roof’s ledge.
“He lets go because he doesn’t want to get killed,” Slupe told the outlet.
Crooks then shot at Trump. Secret Service agents quickly surrounded the president, who later confirmed in a Truth Social post that a bullet struck his ear.
A Secret Service sniper fatally shot Crooks.
The Butler County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Law enforcement officials and the Secret Service are facing criticism following the incident.
A former intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency told BI said it’s “mind-boggling” that Crooks managed to reach the rooftop and have a clear shot at Trump.
An AP analysis of the footage found that Crooks managed to get “astonishingly close” to the stage. According to the outlet, the roof was less than 164 yards from where Trump stood onstage.
President Joe Biden ordered an independent probe of Trump’s rally security on Sunday in the shooting’s aftermath.
“I’ve directed an independent review of the national security of yesterday’s rally, and we will share the results of that independent review as well,” Biden said.
GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House would investigate events at the rally. On Saturday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced it assumed the lead role in the investigation in a post on X.
Trump will speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week.
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” he said in a Truth Social post.
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