Fox News has acquired a startling new video from one of the victims in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The footage reveals a figure moving on the roof of a building at the Butler Farm Show grounds just before the gunfire erupted.
Footage Details
James Copenhaver, critically injured in the July 13 shooting, captured the footage. The video shows a figure on the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building three minutes before the attack. The assailant, armed with a collapsible AR-15-style rifle, fired eight rounds, injuring Trump’s ear, killing volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore and critically injuring both Copenhaver and David Dutch. Copenhaver and Dutch each sustained two gunshot wounds. A Secret Service Counter Sniper Team killed the gunman seconds later. (RELATED: Google Search Omits Results For Trump Assassination Attempt: Report)
CRAZY. This video is from James Copenhaver – one of the bystanders who was shot twice and critically wounded during the assassination attempt against Trump. It CLEARLY shows Crooks’ head scurrying on the rooftop moments before the shooting.
Takeaway: Secret Service BLEW IT and… pic.twitter.com/1rP6083ZFH — Justin Hart (@justin_hart) July 31, 2024
“He almost felt something whiz past him,” Copenhaver’s attorney, Joseph Feldman, told Fox News. “Initially, he looked down at his arm, felt pain, and hadn’t even realized he had been shot a second time. It could have been shock.”
How the Shooter Gained Access
FBI officials revealed that the shooter, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, accessed the AGR building’s roof by climbing HVAC equipment and piping. He moved across multiple rooftops to reach his position, giving him a clear line of sight to the former president from about 450 feet away.
Leading up to the shooting, on July 6, Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, researched how far Lee Harvey Oswald was from the late President John F. Kennedy when Oswald assassinated the former president in 1963. On July 7, he traveled to the rally site and spent approximately 20 minutes in the area, according to Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge at the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.
CBS News Confirmed compiled a visual timeline of the minutes leading up to the assassination attempt of Donald J. Trump. The team used social videos from the scene to create a second-by-second account of the minutes leading up to the gunshots. pic.twitter.com/jgS2558eGo
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 26, 2024
On the day of the rally, Crooks parked his vehicle and flew a drone between about 3:50 p.m. and 4 p.m. about 200 yards from where the former president would be speaking on July 13. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified during a July 17 congressional hearing that Crooks had been at the rally site for about 70 minutes the morning of the assassination attempt.
Security Oversights
The Secret Service knew of a potential threat 10 minutes before Trump took the stage but allowed him to proceed. Additionally, a local law enforcement countersniper had flagged the shooter as suspicious over an hour before the incident due to his rangefinder and backpack. (RELATED: Hawley Unleashes Fury At Secret Service Director In Senate Shouting Match)
The FBI continues to investigate Crooks’ motive for the shooting.
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