(TargetLiberty.org) – Col. Christopher Paris, Pennsylvania’s Police Commissioner, disclosed key details about the July 13 attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life.
Paris, head of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), made the revelations during a hearing before the House Homeland Security, a day after now-former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle spoke to lawmakers on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Paris made several startling revelations; these are five new details he disclosed on Tuesday:
Law Enforcement Identified Crooks Through Informal Channels
Law enforcement first identified Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin, as a “suspicious” person when he failed to enter the secure area before the rally.
Members of Butler, Pennsylvania’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) reached out to the command center, headed by the Secret Service, after spotting Crooks with a range finder.
Paris revealed a PSP member within the command center received the information by text and call before relaying that information to the Secret Service “and then was given a number to follow up on.”
Lawmakers queried why formal communications, like digital radio, weren’t used to communicate threat assessments. They also floated the idea that informal communication could have caused the breakdown in communication.
Crooks Fired Eight Shots into the Rally
Before, the Secret Service only revealed Crooks fired “multiple” shots. However, Paris revealed that law enforcement recovered “eight casings” beside Crooks, concluding “that the number is eight.”
Officers Overlooking the Roof Left Their Post
The two Butler ESU officers left their second-story post at the AGR building to follow Crooks after identifying him as suspicious.
In a video lawmakers presented during the hearing, they highlighted that the ESU officers’ original post had an unobstructed view of the position Crooks eventually assumed — which was 147 yards from Trump’s podium.
Crooks Spent Roughly 3 Minutes on the Roof
Paris revealed Crooks spent roughly three minutes on the roof before he started shooting but emphasized he didn’t have exact timelines.
He also noted that a local law enforcement officer approached Crooks on the roof after being boosted by a colleague but dropped back to the ground when Crooks leveled his rifle at him.
Local Officers Received Their Posts from the Secret Service
Despite assisting in the security operation for the rally, local law enforcement had no input into how the security operation should be designed, even beyond the rally’s secure perimeter.
This lack of input extended to how law enforcement would cover the building where Crooks was positioned.
One key question lawmakers had during the hearings was why no officers or agents had been stationed on the roof, considering how close it was to the stage.
However, according to Paris, a PSP area commander who joined the July 11 walk-through reported to Paris flagging the rooftop where Crooks eventually shot from as a potential security issue.
Paris relayed that Secret Service agents reassured the commander that Butler’s ESU would cover the rooftop.
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