Colossal failure on behalf of Secret Service
6:10 PM. July 13. Butler, PA. Former President Donald Trump was rushed off the stage at a Pennsylvania rally after apparent gunshots ranged through the crowd. Trump and others on the stage ducked for cover. Blood could be seen dripping down his face from the top of his right ear.
“The most incredible thing was that I happened to not only turn [my head] but to turn at the exact right time and in just the right amount,” he said, adding that the bullet that grazed his ear could have easily killed him.
“I’m supposed to be dead, I’m not supposed to be here.”
Shooter spotted on roof 26 mins before
The 20-year-old suspected gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was seen lying flat on the roof of a shed about 150 yards away from where Trump was. He had an AR-15 rifle. One witness, a man named Greg, said he had seen the gunman “bear-crawling” onto the roof of the shed minutes before the chaos began and had been frantically trying to point him out to police and the Secret Service.
A local law enforcement officer climbed to the roof and found Crooks, who pointed the rifle at the officer. The officer then retreated down the ladder, and the gunman quickly fired toward Trump, the officials said. That’s when U.S. Secret Service gunmen shot him, the officials said.
According to witnesses, there were about 7-8 rounds that a gunman fired at Donald Trump and the crowd.
The 50-year-old volunteer fire chief died while trying to protect his family during the attempted assassination – diving onto them to shield them from the bullets.
“Corey died a hero,” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a news conference following the shooting, adding that Comperatore went to church every Sunday and “loved his community”.
He protected his family. With his own life.
“He shielded my body from the bullet that came at us,” one daughter, Allyson Comperatore, wrote in a social media post. “He loved his family. He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us.”
Two other spectators were wounded: David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon. They were in stable condition Sunday at Allegheny General Hospital on Pittsburgh’s North Side, police said.
How could this 20-year-old with a rifle have such a clear shot at the ex-President?
Until now, the Secret Service won’t tell us. They refuse to answer the questions and are keeping us in the dark.
There was no areal visual support. No drones. No helicopters. Luckily, there were random Trump supporters attending the rally who ere behind that shed where they spotted the gunman. They started yelling out to the police: There’s a gunman on the roof…”
- The rooftop was a known vulnerability before the event
- Someone should have been on the roof or securing the building
- The line of sight from the rooftop to Trump’s podium area should have been blocked off
