Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for a story that could have easily been a national tragedy. The drama surrounding last month’s near-assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally is heating up once again as new developments are about to be unveiled.
We’re talking about the newly released bodycam footage from local police that will shed light on those crucial moments when an officer came face-to-face with the would-be shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Here’s what we know so far: On July 13th, Crooks was perched on the roof of the American Glass Research building, armed with a DPMS AR-15 rifle, ready to unleash chaos on Trump and the rally crowd below. In a twist of fate, however, an officer from the Butler Township Police Department scaled that very roof just seconds before Crooks could carry out his deadly mission. The footage, set to drop on Thursday, promises to give us an unfiltered look at those heart-stopping moments.
According to Lt. Matthew Pearson, the acting chief of the Butler Township Police, this footage will finally give the public a clear understanding of how close we came to a national catastrophe. The officer in question managed to spot Crooks just as he was raising his weapon. But in a dramatic turn, when the officer tried to pull himself onto the roof, he lost his grip and fell eight feet to the ground, spraining his ankle in the process. Just imagine the tension in that split second—the officer hanging by his fingertips, staring down the barrel of a gun.
Breaking: Bodycam footage reveals officer’s rooftop confrontation with would-be Trump assassin pic.twitter.com/kZvIIq1zmv
— WorldviewTube (@WorldviewTube) August 8, 2024
Despite the fall, this officer’s brave effort may have saved countless lives, including Trump’s. Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe emphasized just how crucial that moment was, arguing that the officer’s presence likely forced Crooks to rethink his aim. It’s a chilling thought—just ten seconds earlier, Trump was looking straight ahead, and the outcome could have been unimaginably worse.
Yet, as heroic as these actions were, the aftermath has been anything but smooth. The shooting has sparked a blame game among the various agencies involved. Fingers are being pointed in every direction, with former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle facing heavy criticism for her handling—or mishandling—of the situation. She eventually resigned, but the debate over who is ultimately responsible rages on.
“I f—ing told them that they needed to post guys f—ing over here…I told them that f—ing Tuesday,” said a Butler Township officer in audio captured on his body-worn camera. “I talked to the Secret Service guys. They’re like, ‘Yeah, no problem.’” https://t.co/m6WCQXC2jR
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 8, 2024
Butler County has finally complied with the Freedom of Information Act request from Fox News for additional bodycam footage and radio communications. What has been released so far is disturbing and throws even more questions about that eventful day. So, as we await the release of more critical footage, many questions remain unanswered, especially about the security lapses that allowed such a close call to occur in the first place.
Brand new body camera footage out of Butler from the rally that almost took President Trump’s life. It tells us just how badly @SecretService “f***ed” this up. pic.twitter.com/021H0VUX0R
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) August 9, 2024
This story is far from over, folks. As the footage becomes public, we’ll be watching closely to see if it provides the clarity we need or just adds more fuel to an already raging fire.
