A bombshell report reveals that a team of snipers was inside the building where Donald Trump’s would-be assassin climbed onto the roof and opened fire, despite being spotted 26 minutes earlier.
Police at the scene noticed Crooks, 20, climbing into position within plain sight just 130 yards away from the rally stage and took two photos of him because of his suspicious behavior, sources told WPXI.
Meanwhile, a counter-sniper team was inside the building acting as a ‘watch post’ during the event when Crooks fired the shots, according to The New York Post.
It remains unclear whether Crooks had the AR-style rifle on him when he was initially seen scaling the AGR International Inc. factory.
These shocking allegations have surfaced as authorities and the U.S. Secret Service face increasing questions over how Crooks managed to shoot at the former president and kill a member of the rally crowd.
Law enforcement at the Butler, Pennsylvania event are reportedly under intense scrutiny after the security ‘vulnerability’ of the roof was highlighted.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stated on Monday night that she would not resign despite mounting calls for her to step aside due to significant lapses that led to one of the most horrific acts of political violence in history.
Local Pennsylvania sheriff Michael Slupe defended the police officer who confronted Crooks on the roof moments before the shooting.
Slupe confirmed on Monday that one of his armed officers encountered the gunman just before he opened fire on the former president’s rally.
The officer, who remains unnamed, backed off when Crooks aimed his AR-style rifle at him.
Slupe defended the officer’s decision, stating to KDKA that he would have done the same thing.
He explained, “All I know is the officer had both hands on the roof to get up on the roof, never made it because the shooter had turned towards the officer, and rightfully and smartly, the officer let go.”
Slupe also mentioned that members of his department were alerted to Crooks’ suspicious behavior before the rally started and immediately began searching for him.
Local police, rather than the Secret Service, searched the building, but Crooks still managed to climb to the roof and target the former president.
Slupe acknowledged that Crooks was in the ‘secondary ring’ of protection when he fired.
He noted that while the Secret Service is responsible for the inner ring around the president, local police handle the outer ring.
The former president, 78, survived the assassination attempt when the bullet narrowly missed him on Saturday afternoon.
The shooting occurred just eight minutes after he began speaking at 6:03 pm ET.
Even before he took the stage, Trump supporters claimed they had seen the gunman ‘bear-crawling’ across the roof with a rifle, but their alerts to the Secret Service allegedly went unheeded.
“I’m thinking to myself ‘Why is Trump still speaking, why have they not pulled him off the stage,'” one witness told the BBC. “The next thing you know, five shots ring out.”
