BUTLER, Pa. – Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe stated that footage of an individual on a roof shortly before former President Trump was shot indicates a “failure.”
In an exclusive video from Fox News Digital, recorded by Jim Copenhaver, one of the victims severely injured in the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, a figure is observed traversing the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building moments before gunfire erupted at Trump’s rally.
“Reviewing this, it reinforces my belief that this was a failure,” Rowe informed reporters on Friday. “We should have offered improved protection and better coverage of that roofline.”
“We ought to have had additional Secret Service personnel watching from that area. That building was very close to the outer perimeter, and we needed a stronger presence.”
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Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service, Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 30, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt)
In the video recorded at 6:08 p.m. on July 13, the individual is visible on the building’s roof adjacent to where Trump was speaking, walking from the 1:00 minute mark until about the 2:50 minute mark.
Authorities believe Thomas Crooks commenced shooting with a collapsible AR-15-style rifle just three minutes later, around 6:11 p.m. The 20-year-old fired off eight rounds aimed at the audience, targeting the former president.
VIDEO FROM TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT VICTIM’S POV SHOWS FIGURE MOVING ON ROOF MOMENTS BEFORE GUNFIRE
Counter snipers fatally shot Crooks shortly after, and law enforcement recovered eight shell casings near his body.
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The exclusive footage appears to show Crooks on the AGR rooftop before the shooting. Additional videos from rally attendees have documented bystanders pointing out Crooks on the roof and capturing the law enforcement response as they searched for him.
One user on X, @realDJStew724, filmed local law enforcement, guns drawn, surrounding the building where Trump’s would-be assassin was hiding down two whole minutes before Crooks fired at the former president.
This video was recorded at the base of the AGR building, where Trump supporters gathered to listen to the rally taking place outside.
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Police snipers return fire after shots were fired while Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump was speaking at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Trump can be heard taking the stage and addressing the crowd as law enforcement began encircling the AGR building where Crooks was stationed with his AR-15-style rifle.
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“Oh my God, there is someone in this building,” exclaimed Dave, a user on X.
“Cops are surrounding this entire building right now,” another woman is heard saying.
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In the next two minutes of Dave’s video, the shooting occurs, with bystanders near the AGR building urging others to “make themselves small.”
“Make yourself small, dude,” Dave instructs. “I don’t know what’s happening.”
“Get down, hide behind this tree,” another woman says. “I saw a big puff of something.”
As a final shot is fired, Dave inquires, “Did they get him?”
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Police snipers on the roof at the rally where an assassination attempt was made on the life of former President Donald Trump (Todd the Driller)
Following the chaotic events surrounding Crooks’s shooting, more law enforcement officers were seen racing around the AGR building.
“He said kill confirmed,” Dave is heard following discussions about snipers taking out Crooks. “He mentioned kill confirmed.”
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A graphic depiction of the sniper team’s positioning relative to the would-be assassin at the Trump rally in Butler, PA on July 13, 2024. (Fox News)
The witness accounts of the shooting illuminate the actions of local law enforcement right before the shooting that injured three, including Trump, and claimed the life of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who perished shielding his family.
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The security shortcomings of the Secret Service have led to congressional hearings investigating how Crooks managed to access the top of the AGR building without detection and almost succeeded in assassinating a former president.
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
