NEW: Local Officer Radioed ‘Blanket Tactical Channel’ About Shooter On Rooftop

On Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, a local police officer faced a critical situation when he encountered the gunman on a rooftop aiming at former President Donald Trump. The confrontation, described by Butler’s town manager Tom Knights, unfolded rapidly. In an interview with NBC News’ Stephanie Gosk, Knights detailed the officer’s actions and the intense moments that followed.

“One of our officers was actually boosted up to the roof by another, and when he pulled himself up, he did in fact see an individual on the roof with a weapon.” This sighting set off a series of responses as the officers realized the immediate threat to the former president.

“He saw the shooter?” asked Gosk. “He did,” Knights confirmed. “Turned towards him, had the barrel of his weapon pointed at the officer.” At this critical time, the officer was clinging to the roof’s edge unable to draw his weapon or access his radio.

The situation escalated as the officer made a split-second decision. “Strictly a defensive movement for him to lower his head, duck, and ultimately he lost his grip, falling about eight feet to the ground,” Knights explained. This fall resulted in injuries. The alert was broadcast over a “blanket tactical channel,” ensuring all units were aware of the immediate danger.

WATCH:

The officer who confronted Thomas Matthew Crooks on the roof radioed a "blanket tactical channel" that there was "an individual on the roof with a weapon" before the assassination attempt on President Trump.

Why wasn't President Trump immediately evacuated?

Was the Secret… pic.twitter.com/c2J0KlQEwF

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) July 17, 2024

However, the timing between the radio alert and the actual shooting attempt remains unclear, a detail that investigators are still trying to determine. “How much time between that radio communication and the gun being fired at the former president?” asked Gosk.

“I don’t have that information,” Knights said.

“Once the suspicious individual was identified as being in the vicinity of the AGR building, our police, who were primarily assigned to traffic duty and traffic control, did in fact, because of proximity, move towards that building to try to find and identify,” Knights explained in a separate interview.

Saturday’s tragic incident sparked a blame game among various law enforcement agencies over security lapses at the building utilized by the assailant. While the Secret Service has pointed fingers at local authorities, it has refrained from naming specific agencies involved.

“There has, to the best of my knowledge, not been any direct communication with members of the Secret Service to our officials,” he continued. “There are ongoing interviews with all law enforcement that were at the event, regardless of what their roles were.”

WATCH:

Knights also touched on the community’s reaction and the intense scrutiny the police force faced following the incident. “I think our law enforcement did exactly what training taught them to do, and they did their job. How subsequent events played out, that’s another thing for what I hope to be a really complete report on the incident to educate everybody.”

Kimberly Cheatle, the Director of the Secret Service, has acknowledged her responsibility for the security breach during an assassination attempt on Trump but indicated she does not intend to resign. In response, Republican members of Congress have summoned her to testify next week. FBI technicians at their Quantico, Virginia lab are examining the gunman’s texts, emails, and additional data to uncover motives.

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