On Thursday, bodycam footage showing the intense confrontation between a local police officer and Thomas Crooks, the would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump, was released.
According to the Washington Examiner, the footage captures the moments leading up to Crooks opening fire at a rally on July 13 despite being confronted by law enforcement.
Lt. Matthew Pearson, acting chief of the Butler Township Police Department, shared the revealing footage with the Washington Examiner. The video provides a stark view of events, beginning with an officer running towards the American Glass Research (AGR) building at 6:10 p.m., just a minute before the former president was shot.
In a dramatic sequence, the bodycam footage captures another officer hoisting his colleague onto the AGR building's roof. The officer briefly spots Crooks before Crooks turns his weapon toward him. As the officer attempts to draw his own gun, he falls approximately 8 feet, spraining his ankle in the process. Moments later, Crooks opens fire on Trump at 6:11 p.m.
Amidst the chaos, the injured officer quickly warns his peers about Crooks, providing a detailed description, which includes Crooks donning full tactical gear, having long hair and glasses, and carrying a bag. Although police on the ground were initially unaware of Crooks's fate, officers soon discovered Crooks’s lifeless body on the roof after the attack.
Further footage shows Crooks lying dead with a stream of blood running from the roof's peak to the edge. Additional clips reveal the intense aftermath as four officers carry Crooks’s blood-soaked body to a white tent. Reactions from rallygoers are also documented, including a witness exclaiming about the sight of Crooks being shot.
Inquiries from attendees about Crooks's unnoticed presence on the roof were met with officers' speculations involving various means of scaling the building. Although a bloodied receipt for a five-foot ladder was found on Crooks, the FBI stated that it likely wasn’t used in the attack.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe highlighted the heroism of the officers, suggesting they might have saved Trump's life by buying him critical time to react. "Can you imagine 10 seconds before that?" Slupe remarked, envisioning the peril Trump had narrowly escaped.
Slupe also defended the officer’s actions during the confrontation. A rallygoer’s remark about snipers on other rooftops led to further speculation about Crooks’s undetected approach, emphasizing the complexity of the situation faced by law enforcement.
Supporting documents unveiled by Senator Chuck Grassley provide further background on Crooks's activities and mindset. Grassley shared bodycam footage along with 46 pages of documents detailing Crooks’s membership at the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club.
The records show that Crooks joined the local gun club on August 10, 2023, and had visited 43 times, with 20 of those visits for target practice within the first four months. Crooks’s final visit, notably, was on July 12, 2024, one day before the attack occurred, focusing predominantly on rifle shooting.
The intense bodycam footage released on Thursday brings to light the critical seconds during which local police confronted Thomas Crooks. From the initial rooftop scramble to Crooks's final moments, the footage captures the fraught nature of the encounter and the subsequent aftermath.
Officers quickly shared vital details and warnings, enabling a swift response, even as Crooks managed to open fire. The heroism displayed by the involved officers, as suggested by Sheriff Michael Slupe, may have narrowly prevented a greater tragedy, illustrating the unpredictable risks inherent in protecting public figures.
