07/30/2024

Trump Rally Gunman Stopped Firing After Local Officer Shot at Him

In the melee, the former president's ear got hurt

Thomas Matthew Crooks paused shooting at former president Donald Trump after a local law enforcement officer assigned to a SWAT team returned fire, and Crooks did not shoot again before he was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper, according to two officials familiar with the investigation into the assassination attempt.

The shot from the local officer caused the would-be assassin to temporarily recoil from his perch on a rooftop, according to the two officials and a Washington Post analysis of video evidence. Crooks’ retreat coincided with a 10-second pause in shooting, according to audio experts who examined the gunshots, a critical period that ended when the Secret Service counter-sniper shot and killed him.

It has been reported that a local officer fired at Crooks; however, the analysis suggests the officer may have played a more important role than previously known in responding to the attack at a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.