Officer Noted Suspect 30 Minutes Before Trump Attempt

(LibertySociety.com) – Shortly before the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, a police officer allegedly spotted the would-be shooter and reported the suspicious man at least a half-hour before the shooting.

A source from within law enforcement told reporters at Fox News that an officer saw a man behaving suspiciously while carrying a range-finder. The source in the July 15 report claims that the officer who spotted the man photographed and reported him to state law enforcement before the former president took the stage to speak. A discussion allegedly took place about whether or not the suspect was holding a range-finder (a device typically used in the military to measure distance) or binoculars to gain a better view of the rally as an attendee.

When the harrowing events played out at 6:11 PM, eight shots were fired at Trump, one of which pierced his ear before he ducked and Secret Service agents surrounded him. One attendee of the rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, was retired fire chief Corey Comparatore, who threw his wife and daughter to the ground before taking a bullet to the head, which killed him on the scene. Two other Trump supporters were badly injured.

Aside from the new reports that an officer reported a suspect 30 minutes before the shooting, there have been reports from attendees that they saw the shooter on the roof of the nearby structure from which he opened fire and called for law enforcement assistance for at least two minutes.

One man, Greg Smith, told reporters he was confused during the incident about why Trump was still speaking and wasn’t pulled off stage. Smith was just outside the rally, listening to Trump, when he spotted the assassin “bear-crawl” onto the building’s roof, about 50 feet from him. He said they clearly saw the man’s rifle, pointed at him, and told police about the man, who seemed confused about what was going on.

Questions about what happened that day abound, including whether or not Thomas Matthew Crooks acted alone. Some users speculate another shooter may have been involved. Many are also questioning how such drastic failures of security occurred, on the part of local law enforcement as well as the Secret Service.