Witness reports shooter armed with rifle was on rooftop firing at Trump from outside rally

A witness reported a shooter armed with a rifle was “bear-crawling up the roof” of a nearby building before firing at former President Donald Trump during a rally Saturday in Pennsylvania.

The witness who identified as “Greg” told The BBC the building was outside the perimeter of the rally in Butler. He said he alerted police officers about the suspicious man.

“The next thing you know, five shots ring out,” the witness said.

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Law enforcement later identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks 20 of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who was armed with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, and had bomb material in his car and house.

During the shooting, Trump stopped speaking to the crowd, held his right ear, and moved lower behind the podium.

“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.”

The U.S. Secret Service surrounded Trump. A video shows a sniper fired at the shooter. The witness saw agents approach.

“They crawled up on the roof, they had their guns pointed at him, made sure he was dead,” the witness said. “He was dead, and that was it. It was over.”

CNN reported law enforcement confirmed the location of the shooter as described by the witness and a video by another witness showed the shooter dead on the roof.

VIDEO OF SHOOTING

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The loud communication among the agents reflected a coordinated response. Someone near Trump shouted, “Shooter is down!”

There was blood on Trump when he stood back up. He raised his right fist, as U.S. Secret Service agents formed a ring around him to protect him while moving him away from the podium and into a vehicle.

The U.S. Secret Service reported Trump was “safe” and there was an investigation into a “possible assassination attempt.”

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The shooter died, according to Butler County District Attorney Richard A. Goldinger. According to the U.S. Secret Service, a rally attendee also died and two others were wounded.

The U.S. Secret Service counterattack group in military gear rushed into the rally. U.S. Secret Service agents in suits wielded their guns. Some in the crowd screamed in terror.

Rico Elmore, a Republican who was a speaker at the rally, told CNN that he was walking away from the stage where Trump was when the shooting happened. He saw a man he had never met get shot.

“I jumped over the barrier and put my hand on the guy’s head that was profusely bleeding,” Elmore said.

The U.S. Secret Service later released a statement saying the incident was an “active investigation.”

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Law enforcement evacuated the rally and used crime scene tape to block an area. A police helicopter flew above the area.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, released a statement: “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”

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Photos from the rally

CNN, ABC News, and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Torres is reporting from the Local 10 News headquarters in Pembroke Park.