DA Says Local Officer Fired at Trump Rally Shooter, Lacked Police Manpower

Snipers stand on a roof at Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. (Glen Van Tryfle/TMX via Reuters)

A local police officer fired shots at the gunman who opened fire at former President Donald Trump on Saturday, a local law enforcement official disclosed Wednesday, also saying that the Secret Service was told by local police officials that they lacked the manpower to secure a building where the suspect was perched.

Richard Goldinger, the district attorney in Butler County, Pennsylvania, told the New York Times in an exclusive interview that a local officer in Butler shot at the gunman, who the FBI identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks. That officer, Mr. Goldiner said, did not fire the kill shot and he added that did not know if the officer struck Mr. Crooks with gunfire.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has confirmed that an agency counter sniper killed Mr. Crooks, after firing shots at the former president, striking him in the right ear.

“Our guys did engage him,” Mr. Goldinger told the NY Times, saying that the shooter had a “reaction” when the local officer fired at him.

Butler County provided assistance to the Secret Service on Saturday by deploying four sniper teams, four fast-response teams, and officers who were sent near a barn near the rally.

No local officer was placed inside the building, the roof of which was used by Mr. Crooks to fire the shots, Mr. Goldinger said. “I don’t know whose responsibility that building was,” he said. “But somebody should have been there.”

In another interview, Mr. Goldinger told the Washington Post that the Secret Service “was informed that the local police department did not have manpower to assist with securing that building.” The paper reported that an anonymous agency source confirmed his claim.

The Epoch Times contacted the Secret Service and the Butler County District Attorney’s office for comment Wednesday.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Ms. Cheatle said that local law enforcement officials “were also working the first lady trip and the vice presidential trip” in Pennsylvania on the same day. “I understand the constraints that they’re under, and as I said earlier, we couldn’t do our job without them,” she said.

A day before, Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told Reuters that the shooter saw an officer who was being hoisted by his partner to the roof of the building. The gunman then pointed his rifle at him. The officer, who was holding the edge of the roof at the time, dropped down to safety.

Mr. Slupe said the local police officer could not use his service weapon under those circumstances. After that, Mr. Crooks quickly opened fire at former President Trump, who was speaking to rally attendees from behind the podium at the time.

Authorities have confirmed that aside from the former president’s injury, one rally attendee was killed, and two others were injured. The former president appeared fine on Monday and Tuesday as he attended the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee but was wearing a bandage on his ear.

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, questions have emerged about whether the Secret Service could have increased security around the rally, including whether to place an agent on the roof where the gunman perched.

Ms. Cheatle told ABC News on Tuesday that an agent was not placed on the roof due to its sloping angle, citing safety concerns. Later, the director told CNN that her agency was ultimately “totally responsible” for the security design for the Trump rally.

Regarding the local police presence, the Secret Service “couldn’t do our job without them,” she told CNN. “What happened is a terrible incident and should never happen,” she added. “And we are obviously going to make sure moving forward we take whatever lessons that come out of this and adjust accordingly.”

Investigations into the matter are already underway. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena Wednesday to Ms. Cheatle to make sure she appears at a House Oversight hearing planned for July 22. Also Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general said on the agency’s website that it will open a review of the incident.

Former President Trump and members of his family, meanwhile, have praised the Secret Service and its agents for what they described as quick response to the shooting.