'TIME WASTED'
Police ‘IGNORED witnesses warning gunman was on the roof for 4 minutes’ before Trump was shot in assassination attempt
The shooter, now named by the FBI, was shot dead the scene
SECURITY at the rally where former President Donald Trump was shot on Saturday allegedly ignored a warning from a witness who claims he saw the shooter.
The eyewitness said he and his friends warned cops "three or four minutes" before the bullets rang out, which narrowly missed Trump's head.
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Speaking to the BBC, eyewitness Greg said he saw a man crawling onto a nearby roof with a rifle as Trump spoke to supporters onstage at the Pennsylvania rally.
He said minutes later the man remained in prime position and fired a shocking five times before Secret Service agents "blew his head off".
His first-hand account raises serious doubts about security measures at the rally, as Trump came incredibly close to taking a bullet to the head.
Two more people in the audience were critically injured in the shooting, which unfolded just after 6pm on Saturday.
All three victims who were shot at the Butler Farm Grounds remain unnamed.
The gunman, named by the FBI today as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by snipers from a roof behind Trump's stage.
Greg told the BBC he saw Crooks "bear-crawling up the roof of a building" just 50 feet away from the crowd.
"He had a rifle, we could clearly see him with a rifle," he said.
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The Trump supporter, who was trying to get closer to the stage, said he and a group of friends pointed at the man and told police what they saw.
Only minutes later, the man fired around five bullets at Trump.
Greg said: "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’ and the police did not know what was going on."
What we know so far...
- A shooter opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening, killing one, critically injuring two others, and wounding the former President
- Dramatic footage showed the moment Trump dived behind his podium as Secret Service agents closed in
- The FBI confirmed it was an assassination attempt after snipers shot the gunman dead on site
- Trump broke his silence with a statement describing the shooting - after a bullet struck his ear and left blood pouring down the side of his face
- A hot microphone captured the moment Secret Service agents screamed "Get down!"
- The shooter was later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks and pictured
- A witness claims he warned police about a man with a rifle on a nearby roof minutes before the attack
- President Joe Biden dubbed the shooting "sick," and suspended campaigning for the next two days
- Melania Trump broke her silence on the shooting and branded the gunman a "monster"
Crooks, 20, was "neutralised" by Secret Service snipers shortly after opening fire at the open-air event.
The crowded rally was held at the Butler Farm Show grounds, where sprawls of open fields are understood to have given him perfect visuals of Trump.
Shocking pictures from the scene showed blood smeared across Trump's face in the moments after the shooting.
Secret Service agents could be seen pouncing on the former President as he hit the deck, before rushing him into a car and whisking him away.
Other pictures showed the snipers on a roof nearby - poised to fire back after shots rang out.
2024 hopeful Trump later said he felt a bullet rip through his skin as it pierced the upper part of his right ear.
He thanked law enforcement for their swift response to the gunfire, offering his condolences to the families of those affected.
"I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania," Trump wrote on Truth Social hours after the shooting.
"Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.
"It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead.
"I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.
"Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!"
An doctor in attendance at the rally told how he performed CPR on a member of the crowd.
Both Republicans and Democrats have condemned the brutal attack, with President Joe Biden calling the heinous crime "sick."
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"There is no place in America for this type of violence," the president said.
He added that he was relieved Donald Trump is "doing well."
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