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 ...
Needed someone brave, like Kyle Rittenhouse.
Somebody else wrote that the officer should have fired a couple of shots into the ground (or into the air). Shots fired would have IMMEDIATELY attracted all police attention and the SS would have IMMEDIATELY taken Trump down.
I am not sure I would call a natural survival instinct ‘cowardly’. Its easy to quarter back on this one. Did the cop have a vest on, was he/she ready to be looking down the barrel of a rifle? Not all cops, actually only a few, train enough to have natural instincts to run into a line of fire. That takes a lot of stress inoculation to get to that point, especially if your hands are tied up trying to climb over a building ledge rather than free to draw your own firearm.
All the cop had to do was to alert the SS. They presumably would have shielded Trump. The cop did not have to be a hero.
Are the SS to good to talk to local LE?
Very different circumstances. Kyle was the one cornered.
The vast majority of Police today are “ crime recorders”, not crime stoppers. Everything today requires a Police report from traffic tickets, car accidents, to burglaries, to assaults, to thefts to insurance reports, etc…..
“ That’s not much of a defense.”
More like “damning with faint praise”.
“...immediately unholster my firearm and fire off 2-3 shots into the air ASAP”
Exactly. ANY gunfire would have caused the SS to immediately take Trump to the ground, cover him with their bodies, and then hustle him into his vehicle.
then you BOTH need to go. loser
Was he standing on the shoulders of another officer with both hands on the roof just looking around or was he in a pull-up position needing both hands and arms to do anything?
It sounds like the officer was attempting to get on the roof and he had both hands occupied. He was essentially helpless. Maybe dropping down was the right call.
This doesn’t surprise me. A local police officer in rural Pennsylvania is basically a Dept. of Public Works employee with a badge.
Wait. What? You mean to tell that if some nut pointed a rifle at you you wouldn’t retreat? What crap.
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Not permanently. It’s your job to get your weapon out and shoot the perp.
There are things now a days called radios. Do you think he could have called it in to get the people on the ground to protect the president?
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Your question should have been answered within 4 hours. Certainly it would never take 24, or 48 hours to answer this fundamental question.
The longer it takes to answer, the more b.s. can be invented.
He had guts and knew what to do in a split second, that's the difference.
yea the perp accessed the bldg via the building’s own ladder. protocol should have locked out / disabled the ladder in the pre inspection check before the rally even if no one was on the roof.
The sheriff said he was "hoisted" up by another officer. So no ladder. You would not have a loaded gun in your hand while someone is hoisting you up to the roof. You need both hands free, and if you fell with a loaded gun, it could have gone off.
I still want to know why the police didn’t have someone up on the roof from the beginning? The shooter should never have had the opportunity to get up there.
Sounds as though both are chicken-hearted.
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