- Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Donald Trump on Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania.
- A local police officer encountered Crooks on the roof before the shooting but retreated, WaPo reported.
- Law enforcement and the US Secret Service faced scrutiny after the incident.
A city police officer at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania met with the shooter before the assassination attempt but backed away, according to The Washington Post.
Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe told the outlet that officers checked the roof after an unnamed law enforcement agency asked for identification of a “suspicious individual” at the demonstration, the Post reported.
After the officer looked up high enough to see the roof of a building near the demonstration, the shooter, now identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, turned and pointed his gun at the officer, knocking him back to the ground, the media outlet said.
Slupe said the officer did not have a gun in his hand at the time because he was holding onto the roof ledge.
“He let it go because he didn’t want to get killed,” Slupe told the outlet.
The gunman then shot Trump. Secret Service agents quickly surrounded the president, who later confirmed in a Truth Social post that a bullet had hit him in the ear.
A Secret Service sniper shot Crooks dead.
The Butler County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Law enforcement officials and the Secret Service faced criticism after the incident.
A former intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency told BI it was “very puzzling” that Crooks made it to the roof of the building and had a clear opportunity to attack Trump.
The AP’s analysis of the footage found that Crooks got “very close” to the stage. The roof was less than 164 yards from where Trump was standing on stage, the outlet said.
President Joe Biden ordered an independent investigation into the security at Trump’s rally on Sunday after the shooting.
“I have ordered an independent national security review of yesterday’s protests, and we will share the results of that independent review as well,” Biden said.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House would investigate the events at the rally. On Saturday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced it was taking over the lead role in the investigation in a post on X.
Trump will speak at the Republican National Convention in City of Milwaukee this week.
“At this time, it is more important than ever for us to come together, and show our true character as Americans, stay strong and determined, and not let evil win,” he said in a Truth Social post.
