Posted on 07/15/2024 12:42:14 PM PDT by thegagline
The local Pennsylvania sheriff defended the armed officer who encountered former President Donald Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks on the rooftop moments before the shooting — claiming it was the right call to retreat after the gunman pointed the weapon at him.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe confirmed Monday that a local officer made contact with Crooks after being hoisted up to the roof by another officer — but fled when the sniper pointed his AR-style assault rifle at the officer.
“I would have done the same thing, absolutely,” the sheriff said.
comment. “All I know is the officer had both hands on the roof to get up on the roof, never made it because the shooter had turned towards the officer, and rightfully and smartly, the officer let go,” Slupe told KDKA.
The gunman immediately fired up to eight rounds at Trump, wounding him and killing a hero firefighter in the stands. Two others were also wounded.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
and then the shooting started immediately.
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This is what I don’t understand. Even if Crooks had the rifle resting on a stand with the sights dialed in....
Could even an expert marksman back down a cop then rush back to his position and do what Crooks did?
I still say Crooks had some time to regroup. And the snipers off stage watched this unfold.
What you wrote makes sense. (Although he did seem to spray his shots, maybe rushing contributed.)
“BUT YOU WEREN’T THERE.”^
Exactly.
Given what we know (and given reasonably solid footing), I would have fired “blind” over the drip-edge several rounds low to tear across the roofing—just enough to distract the shooter with roofing fragments and draw attention for the counter-snipers.
It is pretty bad, but I am pretty sure it is an AR15 from the 3 parts I think I see.
The barrel, receiver and stock all in line is another marker.
Had the cop stood his ground and perp shot him at a minimum it’s heard and Trump gets hog piled. Perp mission fails. SS is supposed to take the bullet.
Thanks for the follow-up.
I’ll take your word for it. I can’t make heads or tails
from this. That doesn’t mean others couldn’t though.
One last thing. He used iron sights. No scope.
Not to warn the bad guy to warn the good guys. I guess I didn’t make that clear.
That would be tough.
I understood completely.
You do understand that bullets go places?
Random shots go to random places.
Do not pull the trigger unless you are sure of your target and what is beyond.
Based on the story reported here, the officer in question had no opportunity to shoot at the would be assassin, or to otherwise disrupt what he was trying to do, simply because he had both of his hands on the roof while attempting to gain access to the roof. It’s not like he had a third hand in which to hold a firearm. This story also reports that the shooter began shooting at Trump immediately after this officer retreated. So, according to the story, the Officer not only had no opportunity to do anything about the shooter, but he also had no time in which to radio for help of any kind.
The real question here is: is the story above actually what happened, or is it derived from the testimony of a guy trying to save his ass for failing to do his job? Right now, none of us knows whether that officer was telling the truth or not. I think that it is only fair to find out if his version of what happened is the truth, or not.
Meanwhile, I would focus a lot more on the actions of the Secret Service, and particularly on decisions made by supervisory agents and the higher echelons of the Secret Service. It is, after all, the job of the Secret Service to handle security for Presidential candidates. I have also heard, from a friend who is familiar with Secret Service procedures, that no local law enforcement is allowed to carry loaded firearms when a President or Presidential candidate is anywhere nearby - I honestly don’t know if that is true or not, and would welcome more definitive information from anyone here who knows for sure, one way or the other. Another factor that needs to be investigated is that both Harris and Jill Biden were in Pennsylvania on Saturday, each with their own Secret Service protection (and the combination of 3 protective details resulted in less coverage for Trump. There are 50 states in the union, and just by sheer coincidence the first lady and the vice president are in the same state on the same exact day that Donald Trump is there? I find such a “coincidence” to be entirely too convenient for a political party and an entrenched, corrupt bureaucracy to have not planned to leave some holes in Trump’s security, and to have thus allowed this guy to gain access and be able to get shots off. Sorry, after the JFK assassination, it is impossible to entirely trust the government, because there are always some people, who are corrupt and willing to murder others to protect or enrich themselves.
Or even drop down and shoot through the metal side and roof of the building towards the perp.
This thread is full of people who have been in life threatening situations before.
They deserve to be heard.
Or just start screaming “Shooter”!
So - what's the point of having them? Decoration?
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