Why didn’t the officer go up there with gun already drawn? I would have.
Even if he fired his gun in the air would have been better than doing nothing.
It sounds like he was actually climbing up to get on top of the roof and still hanging there, legs swinging, when the confrontation occurred. So probably not in a position to reach for his gun or fire on the guy.
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.
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've been thinking about it. And, without being there, and not knowing the actual facts, I can give this officer some benefit of the doubt. Have you ever climbed onto your roof from a ladder using only one hand (if he's supposed to have his weapon drawn)? It's not stairs. He was using both hands to try to lift himself onto the roof, so he wouldn't have ready access to his weapon. The perp supposedly aimed his rifle at the officer.
The officer's head and torso would be exposed and then his legs as he swings them up to get on the roof. If he stands on the rungs and tries to peek over and shoot, he's still exposing his head and possibly torso, trying to maintain balance on a ladder, and trying to possibly get a shot off shooting toward the perp, and from the location of the ladder, shooting toward the perp would also result in shooting toward President Trump and the crowd if he misses a shot.
Again, this is armchair quarterbacking. I wasn't there. There is video of the perp climbing the ladder and crawling across the roof, but I have seen any video of the LEO who climbed up the ladder after the perp.
“ Why didn’t the officer go up there with gun already drawn? I would have.”
Duck below roof, grab gun, immediately go back up.
But I wasn’t there…
In the coward’s defense, if he had missed he’d be lobbing them into the crowd.
I don’t know if I would have charged the shooters position, but I sure would have raised a stink on the radio.
Probably would have ducked down and planned on an up-down to put one in his crotch.
Can you not read?
“All I know is the officer had both hands on the roof to get up on the roof...after being hoisted up to the roof by another officer...never made it because the shooter had turned towards the office r”.
Or do you have a third hand to shoot with?
I’m sure he would have liked to as well. I guess initially he had to use both hands to pull himself up.
Same but I’d have radioed the SS before climbing the ladder.