Local law enforcement officers stationed at the complex of buildings where a gunman opened fire at former President Donald Trump left their post to search for the man before the shooting, according to Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris. The officers spotted the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, acting suspiciously on the ground and went to search for him with other law enforcement officers. The revelation raises questions about whether a key post was left unattended as the shooter climbed onto a roof and opened fire.
The incident took place during a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, resulting in the death of one spectator and injuries to two others. The Secret Service Director, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned following the incident, citing it as one of the agency’s most significant operational failures in decades. Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service had been alerted about a suspicious person multiple times before the shooting but had no indication that he was armed.
Investigations into the shooting are ongoing, with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries supporting a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt on Trump. Authorities are still trying to determine Crooks’ motives, with no clear ideological explanation found so far.
The new information provided by Paris raises further questions about the security preparations for the Trump rally and the decision-making of law enforcement officers before the shooting. Multiple investigations by the Biden administration and lawmakers are underway to understand the circumstances that led to the shooting.
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