Trump shooting witnesses say they tried to warn police of rooftop gunman

Multiple witnesses opportunity they saw Donald Trump’s suspected shooter climbing connected nan tile of a Pennsylvania building moments earlier shots were fired astatine nan erstwhile president during a run rally Saturday.

Several rally attendees, speaking to media outlets successful nan aftermath of what being called a failed assassination attempt connected Trump, said they moreover tried to alert constabulary astatine nan Butler, Pa., arena earlier nan shooter opened fire.

Easton Smith, who was extracurricular of nan rally’s information perimeter, told CBS connection WKBN that he saw a man climbing up to nan building’s roof but “didn’t cognize what he was doing.”

Smith told nan outlet that he and others adjacent were “trying to alert cops and constabulary location was a feline crawling connected nan roof,” erstwhile they spotted nan suspected shooter’s rifle.

“After that, a mates shots fired off,” he said.

Another witness, Greg Smith, told BBC News that he besides saw that nan suspected shooter had crawled to nan apical of nan building, which was located extracurricular nan arena but had a consecutive position of nan shape wherever Trump was speaking, backed by an assemblage of rally supporters.

He said he alerted constabulary to nan gunman but was confused erstwhile Trump carried connected pinch his remarks.

“I’m reasoning to myself, ‘Why is Trump still speaking, why person they not pulled him disconnected nan stage’… nan adjacent point you know, 5 shots ringing out.”

Smith told nan BBC that he first spotted nan gunman astir 5 minutes into Trump’s speech.

“We noticed nan feline bear-crawling up nan tile of nan building beside us, 50 feet away,” he said. “He had a rifle; we could intelligibly spot a rifle.”

Smith told nan outlet he saw Secret Service agents sprout nan man and, moments later, “they crawled up connected nan roof, they had their guns pointed astatine him, made judge he was dead. He was dead, and that was it — it was over.”

Ben Macer told KDKA-TV he saw nan gunman “move from tile to roof. (I) told an serviceman (the shooter) was connected nan roof.”

“When I turned astir to spell backmost to wherever I was, it was erstwhile nan gunshots started, and past it was conscionable chaos, and we each came moving away, and that was that.”

Another witness, David James Stewart, told Axios he was trying to get a position of nan rally aft clocking disconnected from his displacement astatine a adjacent convenience shop and was opinionated correct adjacent to nan building nan shooter had scaled.

Stewart told nan outlet that he was taking video astatine nan clip and turned his camera upward erstwhile nan shooting started.

Following nan shooting, authorities seized his video, he said, and he was taken by Homeland Security to a building for questioning. He claimed rule enforcement told him that 18 witnesses were brought successful and asked to stock their recollections pinch section constabulary and national agents. It’s unclear really galore witnesses astatine nan rally were really questioned — and really galore will beryllium questioned by authorities successful nan days and weeks to come.

The Secret Service said it killed nan suspected shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attacked from an elevated position extracurricular nan rally venue.

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As shots rang out, nan erstwhile president huddled underneath nan podium while his protective item surrounded him. Trump grabbed his receptor earlier ducking down nan podium. When he yet stood up, look bloodied, he gave a defiant upraised fist to nan crowd arsenic he was ushered offstage by his information detail.

“I knew instantly that thing was incorrect successful that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and instantly felt nan slug ripping done nan skin. Much bleeding took place,” Trump wrote connected his societal media site, Truth Social.

One attendee was killed and 2 spectators were critically injured, authorities said. All were identified arsenic men.

President Joe Biden, who is moving against Trump, was briefed connected nan incident and said to Trump respective hours aft nan shooting, nan White House said.

“There’s nary spot successful America for this type of violence,” nan president said successful nationalist remarks. “It’s sick. It’s sick.”

Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience arsenic shocked leaders crossed nan governmental disagreement reacted to nan shooting.

— With files from The Associated Press