Devendra Kumar
At a Pennsylvania rally on July 13, where former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated, a police officer expressed frustration over the Secret Service’s failure to station someone on a key rooftop. Body camera footage reveals the officer’s anger, as he told a fellow cop that he had previously advised the Secret Service to post someone on the roof, which was just 130 yards from where Trump was speaking.
The footage, published by the Wall Street Journal, captures the officer seething over the Secret Service’s decision to leave the roof unguarded. He emphasized that he had warned the Secret Service earlier in the week about the importance of securing that particular location. Despite his warning, no one was stationed on the roof, leading to the tragic events that unfolded.
Confusion among law enforcement is evident in the footage, as some officers believed the roof was covered. One officer, who had warned the Secret Service, was under the impression that someone was already positioned on the roof. This assumption proved to be false, as would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to position himself on the rooftop with an AR-style rifle without being detected.
The body camera footage also shows the tense moment when an officer was hoisted onto the roof and came face-to-face with Crooks, who was armed and ready to shoot. The footage highlights the critical lapse in security that allowed Crooks to get into position undetected.
Tragically, Crooks managed to open fire on Trump, hitting him in the ear and killing a bystander before law enforcement swiftly neutralized him. The incident underscores the importance of thorough security measures and the consequences when key warnings are not heeded.
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