Trump Assassination Bid: Policeman 'Retreated' After Confronting Shooter Moments Before Rooftop Firing

A local police officer encountered former US President Donald Trump’s alleged shooter just moments before a bullet grazed Trump’s ear at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday. The incident unfolded when rally attendees noticed a man climbing to the rooftop of a nearby building.

They alerted local law enforcement officials, according to The Associated Press. A police officer then climbed to the roof and confronted 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who allegedly pointed a rifle at the officer. As the US officer descended the ladder, Crooks fired at Trump.

“Rallygoers noticed a man climbing to the roof of a nearby building and warned local police,” the AP reported, citing two law enforcement officials. “One local police officer climbed to the roof and encountered Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer retreated down the ladder, and Crooks quickly took a shot toward Trump.”

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The former US President was hit with a bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear. In a swift response, US Secret Service counter-snipers shot and killed Crooks. The shooting has raised questions about how the gunman managed to get into a position to target Trump. The FBI is investigating the incident as a possible act of domestic terrorism. However, the motive behind Crooks’s actions remains unclear.

The FBI believes that Crooks acted alone and discovered bomb-making materials in his car. Investigators have not found any threatening statements on social media or ideological clues that might explain his motive for targeting Trump. “At this point in the investigation, it appears that he was a lone actor, but we still have more investigation to go,” said Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch.

The FBI, he said, is investigating this as an “assassination attempt,” and also as a “potential domestic terrorism act.” The counterterrorism division and criminal divisions are working jointly together to determine the motive, he added. “The shooter may be deceased, but the investigation is very much ongoing. And, because of that, we are limited in what we say at this point,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “What we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of an attack on democracy and our democratic process,” he told reporters at a news conference in Washington DC.

(With agency inputs)