Butler, Pennsylvania – bodycam footage by local police who obstructed Thomas Matthew Crookes The man arrested seconds before opening fire on former President Trump and other attendees at a political rally in Pennsylvania last month is on the verge of being released, Fox News Digital has learned.
The footage, which is to be released later Thursday, shows the moment an officer from the Butler Township Police Department climbed onto the roof where Crooks was stationed, seconds before he opened fire with his DPMS AR-15 rifle and struck Trump’s ear, killing Corey Comperatore and injuring two others.
Lt. Matthew Pearson, acting chief of the Butler Township Police Department, told Fox News Digital that the footage is being prepared for public release and will provide a clearer picture of the seconds leading up to the incident. Fatal July 13 shooting,
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Photos by Thomas Matthew Crooks taken by a sniper. (Office of Sen. Ron Johnson)
Another officer helped the officer climb onto the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building, as some in the crowd pointed and shouted that there was a suspect with a gun on the roof.
The hoisted officer was able to grab hold of the edge of the building’s roof, which was about 12 feet above the ground, Butler Township Manager Thomas Knights said. Fox News Digital was previously toldAs the officer pulled himself up, Knights said, the officer observed a man on the roof “who had a weapon drawn” and “pointed a gun at our officer.”
The township manager said that as Crooks pointed the gun at the officer, the officer ducked his head, lost his grip on the edge of the roof and fell about eight feet to the ground, spraining his ankle.
Pearson told a local newspaper that the officer could not retrieve his weapon because he was hanging from the building.
A few seconds later, Crooks opened fire.
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Former President Trump, with blood on his face, is surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is escorted off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
However, Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told New York Post Following the shooting, it is believed that the officers who stopped Crooks may have created enough distraction to save Trump’s life.
“If I’m stopped, and I pull out my gun, you have to reevaluate the whole situation at that point, so yes, you could make a case that those two officers saved the president’s life,” Slup told the outlet.
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Slupe said, “timing is everything” and interrupting the shooter. Bought Trump For a few seconds he had to miraculously turn his head so that the bullet would only hit his ear.
“Can you think back to 10 seconds ago?” the sheriff asked, “when the president was looking straight ahead and where the bullet potentially would have landed.”
The details of what actually happened that day and what security breaches led up to the shooting have been clouded by blame games between the various agencies involved at the local, state and federal levels.
Then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, in particular, was heavily criticized for not providing regular briefings to the public and was eventually forced to resign from her position.
There has also been a public dispute between the Secret Service and local police over who owns the weapon. Most responsibility for the shooting,
Two FBI investigators are examining the roof of AGR International Inc., the building adjacent to the Butler Fairgrounds from which alleged shooter Matthew Thomas Crooks fired at former President Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swenson/Getty Images)
News of the imminent bodycam footage release also comes after Butler County denied Fox News’ request under the Freedom of Information Act for bodycam footage and radio communications from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, which is a separate agency from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. Butler Township Police Department,
The Butler County Emergency Services Unit also assisted with safety measures that day, along with Beaver and Washington County ESU.
Butler County told Fox News that, “Helmet and body camera footage of all Butler County officers physically working on the job site: does not exist in the possession, custody and/or control of Butler County according to the Butler County Sheriff, and therefore that portion of the request is denied as permitted under Section 705 of the RTKL (Right-to-Know Law).”
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Butler County also said radio communications between agencies have been halted at least while the investigation continues.
Fox News’s Stephen Soares and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
