During the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, a local law enforcement officer reportedly spotted the would-be assassin and reported him to state police 30 minutes before the gunman opened fire on former President Donald Trump.
A law enforcement source, according to Fox News, said an officer spotted a man acting suspiciously and carrying a range-finder — a device to measure distance often used by the military.
The officer took a photo of the suspect and reported him to state police before Trump even took the stage, according to the source. Reports indicate that there was a discussion about whether the suspect was carrying a pair of binoculars to have a better view of the rally.
At 6:11 pm, the gunman started firing on Trump. A bullet pierced the former president’s right ear before Secret Service surrounded him. One Trump supporter, a 50-year-old father of two and volunteer firefighter named Corey Comparatore, was tragically shot in the head and killed. Two others were critically injured.
As highlighted by The Daily Wire, video and eyewitness accounts of the time leading up to the assassination attempt show Trump supporters yelling to police about the would-be shooter minutes before he opened fire.
Greg Smith, speaking to the BBC, expressed shock that law enforcement seemed confused and didn’t appear to follow up on those alerts.
“I’m thinking to myself ‘Why is Trump still speaking, why have they not pulled him off the stage,’” Smith said. “The next thing you know, five shots ring out.”
Smith was listening to Trump from just outside the rally and said he saw the shooter “bear-crawl” to the top of a building.
“We noticed the guy bear-crawling up the roof of the building beside us, 50ft away,” he said. “He had a rifle, we could clearly see a rifle.”
“We’re pointing at him, the police are down there running around on the ground, we’re like, ‘Hey man, there’s a guy on the roof with a rifle,’” Smith recalled. “The police did not know what was going on.”
President Joe Biden has since said an investigation will be conducted into the security failures. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has also said he will conduct a full investigation into the assassination attempt.
Despite the glaring failure, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said she would not resign.
Related: WATCH: Eyewitness Says He And Others Tried To Alert Law Enforcement About Attempted Assassin
