Explosive police radio transmissions during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump have exposed the chaotic, 29-minute manhunt for the gunman.
A transcript, obtained by the Washington Postreveals the communications delays and other errors that allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to open fire at the July 13 demonstration.
The footage shows officers losing sight of Crooks for 20 minutes after he was identified as a suspicious person.
“Just so you know, there was a young white male, long hair, hanging around the AGR building,” a sniper said at 5:42 p.m., according to the transcript. “We saw him with a rangefinder pointed at the stage… We lost sight of him.”
The crooks continued to unleash a hail of bullets that left Trump wounded and also killed former president supporter Corey Comperatore, 50, and seriously wounded two others at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.
Explosive police radio transmissions during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump have exposed the chaotic, 29-minute manhunt for the gunman.
The tragedy unfolded in part because there was no one from the Secret Service nearby to hear the sniper’s message, as they were stationed at a separate command post 300 yards away.
This meant that this and other communications had to be transmitted through other means, such as cell phones, even though there was poor reception in the area on the day of the demonstration.
The sniper’s initial message set off a chain of messages among local officials, the transcript shows.
Although a sheriff’s deputy was incorrectly told that Crooks was wearing a “white shirt with a hat,” the description the sniper relayed was “gray shirt, light-colored khaki shorts.”
After officers lost track of Crooks, they didn’t see him again for 20 minutes, the transcript shows.
Elsewhere, Sergeant Ed Lenz, tactical commander of the Butler County mobile unit, had received the sniper’s message around 5:44 p.m.
He used his cellphone to call a state trooper assigned to the Secret Service, according to an official and call records.
Sgt. Joseph Olayer then relayed the information to his Secret Service counterparts in the trailer, according to the official.
The transcript, obtained by The Washington Post, reveals the communication delays and other errors that allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to open fire at the July 13 rally.
Two sniper teams were created to monitor any threats against Trump, however, the transcript reveals problems with the line of communication.
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris told a congressional hearing that one of his employees received the call along with texts showing images of Crooks and was told to pass the information on to the Secret Service.
However, poor cell phone reception made it difficult for officials to disseminate the images quickly.
A local tactical team said at 17:47 that they were trying to send the photos, but at 17:49 they received a reply informing them of the problems.
“Units are informed that internet and mobile phone service are not working,” another officer said on that channel a minute later.
“Your picture probably won’t come out because I don’t have any services,” a sheriff’s deputy said.
State officials said they notified Secret Service sniper teams at that point.
However, at 17:49 the officers lost sight of him.
“Our saw units lost sight of him,” Lenz told traffic control officers. “I think you’re outside that fence, if you find him.”
The footage shows how officers lost sight of Crooks for a staggering 20 minutes after he was identified as a suspicious person.
Law enforcement personnel stand over Crooks’ body on the roof of America Glass Research, located just a couple hundred yards from where Trump was speaking.
It was not until eight minutes later, when Crooks appeared near the AGR building, which he would eventually climb to take his photographs, that he was located again.
Agents were unable to determine his location from their vantage point. He was last seen heading to the Sheetz gas station, and information spread quickly.
“All units are also advised that the individual is headed toward Sheetz,” a sheriff’s deputy told colleagues at 6:04 p.m.
However, Crooks did not stay on the ground and instead used the HVAC unit to scale the roof of the AGR building, as seen in a video obtained by the FBI.
This meant that while the officers were working at street level, Crooks was already positioning himself to take aim.
“There’s someone on the roof,” a local officer said four minutes later. “I’ve got someone on the roof wearing white shorts.”
After it was confirmed that there were no officers on the roof, the manhunt intensified further.
“We got him,” one officer said. “We don’t have him in custody yet, but he’s right in front of me, next to the pine tree that’s towering up. He was carrying a backpack.”
The latest photograph of would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks, 20, shows him wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo of the YouTube channel Demolition Ranch
However, seconds later he disappeared from sight again and was seen again by people in the crowd.
Video from the scene shows officers struggling to locate Crooks, apparently due to the angle.
A local officer was then picked up and at 6:11 pm was able to confirm that Crooks was carrying a lethal weapon.
“He’s armed,” the officer said, according to the transcript. “I saw him, he was lying down. He had a long gun.”
The local officer was reportedly unable to draw his own gun because his hands were on the ceiling.
Lenz is then heard telling the Butler County task force to deploy to the AGR building, but before he can finish the directive he is heard saying, “Shots fired.”
A source told the Washington Post that the message about an armed threat never reached the Secret Service command post because there was no time to make a phone call.
This is believed to explain why Secret Service agents closest to Trump appeared to be so surprised.
A staircase hidden by dense bushes leads to the roof of the AGR building where Crooks shot Donald Trump
The rooftop from where the shooter fired at the stage, just 150 meters away
The security breaches led to the resignation of Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle.
The transcript will undoubtedly cause further headaches for those involved in security that day, particularly the Secret Service, which has already come under intense scrutiny for its failings.
The controversy has already led to the resignation of its former director Kimberly Cheatle.
The security chief had faced mounting questions about why there was no officer stationed on the roof from which Crooks opened fire on the former president, and why Trump was allowed on stage even when a threat was detected.