he Butler Township Police Department in Pennsylvania has released new body camera and dashboard footage that provide a better understanding of the chaotic moments following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in July. The videos, shared with US media on Thursday, show confusion, miscommunication, and frustration among law enforcement officers responding to the event.
Warnings Ignored: Secret Service Oversight
In one of the videos, a local police officer expresses anger and frustration about security at the building where Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire. He says he told the US Secret Service that the building needed to be secured days before the rally. “I told them they need to post guys over there. He says, adding that the Secret Service assured him they would. But it was left unmanned by the Secret Service just outside the rally’s security perimeter – with tragic consequences.
The Attack and Aftermath: Trump
On July 13, an open-air rally was suddenly cut short when Crooks fired eight bullets at Trump from its rooftop. Trump, who was speaking on stage, was grazed by one bullet in his ear before being swiftly pulled off stage by agents. However, one person died, and two others were seriously injured in total during this attack.
The footage also shows tense moments as police officers try to find and kill Crooks themselves. One video depicts a Butler County officer being hoisted onto that rooftop. Where he spots Crooks just seconds before firing shots himself – then ducking for cover. While running back downstairs towards his squad car to retrieve a rifle from the trunk … despite the quick response time taken by this officer towards neutralizing the threat posed by the shooter. Crooks still managed to shoot at President Trump first before being fatally. shot dead by a counter-sniper standing nearby undercover among crowd attendees.
Trump: Miscommunication & Confusion Among Law Enforcement
Body-camera footage reveals how confused many officers were on scene: In another clip an officer expressed disbelief over what happened today – thinking. His fellow brothers have been stationed up top all along, thus leaving him feeling like, “I thought it was you! I thought you guys were on the roof!” in disbelief at how none had realized this. Other videos show a Secret Service sniper who identified Crooks earlier. Once he received a report of a suspicious person at the rally. However, he took a picture for the record and then left the post to search the area, creating vulnerability.
Secret Service & FBI Investigations Underway
Following these developments, US Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi admitted that his agency had failed to protect the former president. “The attempted assassination of Donald Trump was a US Secret Service failure.” He added, “We are reviewing and updating our protective policies and procedures so that such a tragedy never happens again.” Meanwhile, an FBI probe was conducted into what happened. A bipartisan House panel with 13 members was also looking into the matter.
The footage release provides fresh information about events from that day in July. While also drawing attention to the necessity of better coordination between law enforcement agencies during high-profile events.
