Police officer discovered shooter before rampage

BETHEL PARK, Pa. — A local police officer was lifted by his partner to the roof of the building where he spotted a gunman shortly before the deadly shooting began at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pa., a local police official said Tuesday.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told Reuters the gunman, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, saw the officer and pointed his rifle at him before the officer, who was clinging to the edge of the roof, jumped down and ran to safety. Slupe, who said the officer was unable to use his weapon under the circumstances, said Crooks quickly opened fire on Trump, who was speaking about 137 yards away on the grounds of the Butler Farm Show on Saturday.

Trump was injured, one attendee was killed and two others were seriously injured. Secret Service snipers then shot Crooks, the agency’s director said. The Secret Service issued a statement Tuesday saying the agency was “deeply grateful” to local law enforcement officials for their efforts — and denied blaming local authorities for the attack.

In an interview with ABC News on Monday, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said local police were inside the building and “were in charge of the exterior of the building.” The statement drew criticism from Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, who said all officers on the scene acted “heroically.”

“This is a failure at the management or command level to address an obvious vulnerability in the security of this event,” Yoes said in a statement.

In a statement early Tuesday, the Secret Service appeared to deny blame.

“We are deeply grateful to the officers who worked hard to find the shooter and to all of our partners on the ground for their tireless efforts,” the agency said in a statement. “Any reports suggesting that the Secret Service is blaming local law enforcement for Saturday’s incident are simply not true.”

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Developments:

∎ About a mile from the site of the National Republican Convention in Milwaukee, outside the event’s security perimeter, a man was shot by out-of-town police, the USA TODAY Network reported Tuesday. A witness said the officers were trying to break up a fight.

∎ According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, nearly two-thirds of Republican voters (65%) believe Trump’s survival of the assassination attempt indicates divine intervention or God’s will. The same poll found that 80% of registered voters believe the country is spiraling out of control.

∎ Three snipers from local tactical teams deployed to assist the Secret Service were stationed in the building from which Crooks opened fire on Saturday, a local law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the incident told CBS News.

∎ A video of the rally posted on social media shows civilians shouting to police that someone was on the roof just before the shooting began. Cheatle said there was “a very short period of time” between that moment and when Crooks began shooting.

∎ The Republican National Convention began its second day on Tuesday, one day after Trump’s first public appearance since the shooting.

Iran is reportedly trying to kill Trump, but Saturday’s shooting appears to have nothing to do with that.

The Secret Service stepped up protection for Trump after learning of an Iranian assassination plot against him that took place before Saturday’s assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, which sources told USA TODAY appeared to be unrelated.

After the threat was identified, the White House confirmed at the highest levels to the Secret Service that it was continuing to monitor the latest reports, according to a security official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The Trump campaign had been made aware of “an evolving threat,” the official said, and the Secret Service had increased resources and assets to protect Trump.

The revelation raises further questions about how Saturday’s gunman was able to shoot Trump despite supposedly heightened security measures. Law enforcement has not established any connection between the shooting and foreign adversaries, according to a statement from the National Security Council on Tuesday.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations described the allegations of a conspiracy as “baseless and malicious”.

− Tom Vanden Brook

Former agent denounces Secret Service mistakes

Kenneth Valentine, a former senior Secret Service special agent, told Reuters that the agency responsible for protecting Trump should have had personnel monitoring the rooftops capable of neutralizing any threats.

Valentine also said the Secret Service should have identified the building from which Crooks fired the shots – about 150 yards from Trump’s speech – as a security risk.

“He shouldn’t have been allowed to get on the roof,” Valentine said.

Trump plans rally for week after shooting

The Trump campaign has scheduled a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for Saturday, a week after Trump was injured in an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump and his running mate JD Vance will appear at Van Andel Arena on Saturday afternoon, the campaign said.

Trump, who was hit in the right ear by a bullet in Saturday’s shooting, will deliver his nomination acceptance speech in Milwaukee on Thursday evening.

− David Jackson

Victim suffered “life-changing injuries,” family says

The family of James Copenhaver, one of two victims injured while attending the Trump rally, issued a statement Tuesday thanking first responders and those who have provided him medical care since the shooting.

The statement said Copenhaver, a 74-year-old Pennsylvania resident, suffered “life-altering injuries” in the attack and is in critical but stable condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. The family also asked for privacy while Copenhaver recovers.

Crooks allegedly bought a ladder before the shooting

Hours before the shooting, Crooks stopped at a Home Depot in his hometown of Bethel Park and purchased a ladder, CNN and NBC reported, citing unnamed police officials.

Several protesters reported to local police officers before the shooting that Crooks was acting suspiciously and climbing a ladder, according to a police official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation.

In a statement provided to USA TODAY, Home Depot referred to law enforcement but condemned the shooting. “The best source of information on this is law enforcement. We condemn the violence against former President Trump and our thoughts are with him, the other victims of Saturday’s horrific events and their families,” the statement said.

Neighbor of shooter stunned by tragedy

Bethel Park police officers continued to block access to the street where the Crooks family home is located Tuesday. The FBI said the family is cooperating with the investigation.

Late Monday, someone left the house, got into a red SUV parked in the driveway and drove away as photographers rushed to snap a photo. Some neighbors who live just a block from Crooks said they still can’t believe one of their neighbors tried to assassinate Trump.

Vanessa Ovesney, 17, said it was a surprise that the shooter was someone who grew up in the peaceful suburb, about an hour from where the shooting took place. She said Crooks seemed familiar to her, but she could not recall any encounters with him, even though she had passed by his house countless times. “It’s unfortunate because we don’t know exactly what was going on with him,” she said.

Memorial Thursday for shooting victim Corey Comperatore

Friends and relatives of the former volunteer fire chief who was killed in an accident at Trump’s rally can pay their respects at a memorial service on Thursday, the family of Corey Comperatore announced.

Comperatore, 50, was a “hero” who rushed to protect his wife and daughter when the shooting started, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said. An obituary published on Monday said the father of two daughters was an engineer, a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve and a “man of God.”

“Above all, Corey was a quintessential family man and the best father to girls,” the obituary reads. And it continues: “Corey’s legacy is not only made up of the major milestones he achieved, but also the small acts of kindness that shaped his daily life.”

− Chris Kenning

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Motive of shooter unclear

Authorities have not yet released a motive for the shooting. Although they have searched Crooks’ phone and computer activity, authorities have not been able to determine why Crooks, a 20-year-old nursing home dietitian with no criminal record, acted as he did.

Interviews with family and friends revealed no obvious motive, law enforcement sources told CNN.

Crooks would have been eligible to cast his first vote in the November 5 presidential election. Public records indicate a mixed political background, as Crooks was a registered Republican who made a $15 donation to a Democratic Party cause several years ago.

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