New exclusive video shows Trump rally chaos after gunman opened fire
EXCLUSIVE: BETHEL PARK, Penn. – Shocking cellphone video shows chaos at the Butler Farm Saturday after Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on a Pennsylvania Trump rally, injuring the former president, killing one spectator and critically wounding two more.
The video shows ducking spectators flagging authorities for help after the gunfire stops.
“We’ve got someone down,” a man can be heard shouting as he waves his arms. “Hey!”
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The camera pans toward the stage, as Trump returns to his feet, flanked by Secret Service agents, and raises a fist.
Todd, the Army veteran who took the video and asked to be identified only as Todd the Driller, said he initially offered to bring his son to the rally but was concerned the crowd might be too boisterous.
WATCH: Exclusive video shows the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former President Trump
He said he was relieved when the 9-year-old wanted to back out. But then both the boy and his 12-year-old daughter asked for Trump campaign hats, so he wound up attending alone.
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Todd arrived early and called his kids on FaceTime from a row of vendors. They chose their hats. He bought them. Then he made his way toward the stage.
WATCH: Exclusive video shows new perspective of Trump attempted assassination
The rally started late, he said, but by the time Trump arrived, he had a good vantage point near the north fence.
He had been taking pictures and videos to send his son, but when the gunfire erupted, his phone was in his pocket and he was listening to Trump’s remarks.
“I had no idea I was in the lane of fire between the shooter and President Trump, but when I heard the crack-crack-crack, I knew what that was,” he said. “It was directly behind me, and bullets whizzed like maybe 20 feet to my left.”
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Todd, who is not a Democrat or a Conservative, said he’s a two-issue voter. He’s pro-life and, as an oil driller, he favors lawmakers who support the industry that puts food on his family’s table.
Counter-snipers neutralized the threat, but not before Crooks, 20, killed a 50-year-old father of two named Corey Comperatore, critically wounded David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, according to authorities.
Todd whipped his phone out and recorded the president climbing back to his feet, surrounded by Secret Service agents.
But when he turned around to see what was going on behind him, what he saw shocked him. Members of the Secret Service and law enforcement inside the secure perimeter couldn’t get out without jumping a fence – until a deputy eventually drove through it to let them out.
“The befuddled law enforcement that couldn’t do their jobs because no one had enough foresight to have that gate unlocked and have a guard posted there and control entrance to it,” he said.
Fortunately, a Secret Service counter-sniper neutralized the gunman before other agents and law enforcement officers reached him on the roof.
Still, the security lapse has prompted widespread criticism of the preparations in place for a presidential candidate’s campaign event.
United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle conceded that Crooks had been dubbed a “potential person of suspicion” before the assassination attempt.
In an interview with ABC News Tuesday, she said the Secret Service was aware of the security vulnerabilities presented by the building Crooks took a sniper’s position on to aim at Trump. However, a decision was made not to place any personnel on the roof.
“That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, there’s a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn’t want to put somebody up on a sloped roof. And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside,” she said.
Although he was just steps from one of the victims, Todd escaped injury. He said he was still “decompressing” Tuesday.
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“I shouldn’t have been there that day, and that was God’s plan for me for some reason,” he said. “I had no idea that I was stepping into history when I went to go get a hat for my kids.”
When things calmed down, Todd left and went to see his family.
“I gave my kids the hats,” he said. “And I took a silver Sharpie, and I wrote inside the bill in small print “7/13/24, Love Dad,” and gave them a big hug and a kiss.”
Nikki Haley takes stage to mixture of cheers and boos at RNC
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made her highly anticipated appearance at the Republican Convention, taking the stage to a mixture of cheers and boos from those in attendance.
Haley, who was former President Donald Trump’s fiercest primary rival, gave the former president her “strong endorsement” during the appearance in Milwaukee, ending months of speculation on if she would throw her weight behind her former rival.
But the initial reaction to Haley’s arrival stood in stark contrast to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump’s chief primary rival during the 2016 campaign, who received a standing ovation from those in the crowd, including Trump themselves.
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Nevertheless, Haley tried to send a message of unity, acknowledging that not everyone has to agree with Trump 100% to support him in this year’s election.
“You don’t have to agree with Trump 100 percent of the time to vote for him,” Haley said. “Take it from me. I haven’t always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than we disagree.”
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Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations before running against him, was not always a sure bet to speak at the convention. However, after a failed assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally Saturday, a message of unifying behind the former president soon spread across the Republican Party.
The former South Carolina governor was followed on stage by another former Trump primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who continued to preach the message of unity during his remarks.
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“My fellow Republicans, let’s send Joe Biden back to his basement and let’s send Donald Trump back to the White House. Life was more affordable when Donald Trump was president,” DeSantis said. “Our border was safer under the Trump administration, and our country was respected when Donald Trump was our commander in chief.”
Man armed with an AK-47 pistol and wearing ski mask arrested near GOP convention
A man armed with an AK-47 pistol and wearing a ski mask was arrested on Monday just blocks from Fiserv Forum where the Republican National Convention is being held in Milwaukee, a federal law enforcement source confirmed to Fox News.
Homeland Security Investigators and Capitol Police were conducting surveillance near the RNC perimeter when they noticed a suspicious man approaching. He was wearing a ski mask and carrying a tactical bag, Fox News’ source confirmed.
Inside the bag, police found the gun and a full magazine. His intentions were unclear.
Milwaukee Police confirmed the incident to Fox News, saying a 21-year-old man was arrested around 1 p.m. on Monday on the 1200 block of N. 11th Street.
Police said the man does not have a concealed weapon license in Wisconsin or any other state.
Charges are pending review by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, police said.
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Fox News reached out to the Secret Service about the incident and was referred to Milwaukee Police. Fox News also reached out to Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security, but has not yet heard back.
This is not the only disturbing security concern to take place at the RNC. On Tuesday, a man was shot and killed by police about 2 miles from Fiserv Forum. A witness told Fox News the man lived in a nearby homeless camp and was brandishing a knife when he was shot.
Also on Tuesday, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Minn., said he was assaulted by a protester. He said a member of CODEPINK assaulted him while he was waiting in line to enter the venue. He called it an “incident of political violence.”
CODEPINK said the woman “was intentionally bumped into by this bald, white member of Congress while he tried to shove past her.” The activist group denied Orden was assaulted.
This all comes as Tuesday’s theme of the RNC is “Make America Safe Once Again” and former President Donald Trump has called to address crime in Milwaukee.
Donald Trump Jr has surprising reaction to Iranian plot against his father
Donald Trump Jr. had a surprising reaction Tuesday to reports that Iran plotted to have his father, former President Trump, assassinated, calling it “maybe the great political endorsement ever.”
The eldest Trump son, who is a vocal surrogate for his father’s campaign, made the comment in an interview on “Hannity” live from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee just as the former president arrived donning a visible bandage on his right ear for the second night in a row.
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“I think it’s sort of a great endorsement. When people like Iran want to take you out, that probably means it’s good for America, bad for Iran,” Trump Jr. said. “That may be the greatest political endorsement ever. But when that happens, their capabilities are much more than a kid with a rifle.”
The Department of Homeland Security received intelligence from a human source on an Iranian plot to assassinate former President Trump, Fox News has been told by two federal law enforcement sources. CNN first reported that there has been an increase in Secret Service protection for Trump in recent weeks because of this intelligence. DHS and Secret Service have increasingly been concerned about Trump holding outdoor events, Fox News is told.
The plot doesn’t appear to be connected to Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, the gunman who shot Trump during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, over the weekend, the sources said. Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations denied the allegations, calling them “unsubstantiated and malicious” in a statement to Fox News Digital. Trump directed the January 2020 strike that killed Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Forces.
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Trump Jr.’s defiant tone Tuesday comes a day after he was seen tearfully welcoming his father to the GOP convention in his first public appearance following the attempt on his life. As former President Trump walked through a packed convention floor roaring with applause, his eldest son became visibly emotional.
“It was allergies,” he quipped when Sean Hannity asked how Saturday’s assassination attempt against his father affected him personally.
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“Not a lot of crying in the Trump family, but that moment, it was so heavy. 48 hours later…just the emotion…but also the love that we felt here,” he said. “What I saw over the last couple days here in Milwaukee was just incredible.”
Trump supporters seen warning police about would-be assassin
Cellphone video taken on Saturday shows panicked Trump rally attendees pointing at shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks and yelling to alert police as he shimmied across a roof and into position minutes before he fired.
Video from the scene appears to show attendees trying to alert authorities to the shooter’s presence 86 seconds before Crooks fired.
In other footage taken of the incident, people were seen running from the area about 15 seconds before shots were fired, while others were heard yelling that the man on the roof had a gun.
“Look, they’re all pointing,” the man shooting the video can be heard saying. “There he is right there. Right there, you see him? He’s laying down, you see him? What’s happening.”
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“He’s on the roof,” another woman can be heard yelling. “Right here.”
Crooks purchased a ladder at a Home Depot, a brief drive from his family home before the rally on Saturday – it is unclear whether he used that ladder to get onto the roof of a building about 410 feet from the main stage where Trump stood, just outside the bounds of the security perimeter established for the former president on the property.
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There were four counter sniper teams at the rally, including two from the Secret Service and two from local law enforcement. That building Crooks fired from was a “rally point” for one of the local counter sniper teams, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the security plans.
A team was stationed in, or near, the building, the source said.
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One of those snipers saw Crooks outside the building looking up at the roof and observing the building before disappearing, a local law enforcement officer told CBS News. He then saw the gunman return to the building, sit down and look at his phone.
One of the snipers took a picture of Crooks, then saw him looking through a rangefinder minutes before the assassination attempt, per the outlet. He radioed a command post and tried to send the photo up the chain of command before Crooks fired.
More than a dozen firearms were discovered inside the Crooks family home, NBC News reported, and the shooter’s father called police to tell them his AR rifle was missing after the incident. The rifle used in the shooting was purchased legally, and may have belonged to his father.
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Officials have said Crooks acted alone in trying to kill Trump but are still investigating. His classmates at Bethel Park High School, where he graduated in 2022, characterized him as a quiet loner who was bullied.
Trump’s would-be assassin reportedly stocked up on ammo hours before shooting
Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks purchased 50 rounds of ammunition just hours before the incident, according to reports.
Crooks, 20, bought the bullets from local gun shop Allegheny Arms before opening fire at former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
FBI officials had not yet confirmed the report as of Tuesday morning, but noted that they’ve completed a vetting of Crooks’ phone.
“The search of the subject’s residence and vehicle are complete. The FBI has conducted nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement personnel, event attendees, and other witnesses. That work continues,” the FBI said in a statement.
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Bruce Piendl, owner of Allegheny Arms, where Crooks bought ammunition before the attack, told Fox News Digital, “As a responsible member of our community, it is our prerogative to cooperate with law enforcement in every way. We are thankful that President Trump was not assassinated, and our hearts go out to all victims of this horrible incident.”
“Out of respect for the ongoing investigation and that of those affected, we will not make any further statements,” he added.
Crooks used his father’s gun during the shooting, which injured Trump and two other men and left a rally attendee dead.
CNN reported that Crooks’ parent owned roughly 20 registered firearms.
According to NBC, at least a dozen firearms were found in the Crooks’ family home after a law enforcement sweep of the residence.
The FBI has also revealed that a search of Crooks’ car turned up bomb-making materials that he drove to the site of the rally.
Investigators found that Crooks was in possession of a transmitter, but the purpose of the device was not clear.
The FBI has said he acted alone, but a motive for the shooting has not been specified as of Tuesday.
The 2022 high school graduate has been described as an insular loner who was subject to relentless bullying.
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While a registered Republican, Crooks donated to a progressive organization in 2021, further deepening the mystery around his motivations.
Crooks was shot dead by snipers after he opened fire at the rally at roughly 6 p.m. Saturday.
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Trump was struck in the ear, while rally attendee Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed. Two others were hit and remain in stable condition.
Crooks’ relatives have told various outlets that they remain mystified by the shooting, and haven’t theorized about his motivations.