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From Fox News: A Pennsylvania police officer on Thursday told lawmakers that a local operator’s bullet ultimately stopped failed assassination attempt shooter Thomas Crooks before the U.S. Secret Service fatally shot him.
Adams Township Police Department Sgt. Edward Lenz’s testimony came Thursday morning during a hearing before the House Trump Assassination Attempt Task Force, which has been tasked with investigating the July 13 shooting of former President Trump, the first of two recent assassination attempts against him.
“Across the two counter assault teams, the quick reaction force, three sniper teams and support personnel, we provided total manpower of 44 persons, exceeding the number requested by the Secret Service,” Lenz, a commander with the Butler County Emergency Services Unit (ESU), said in his opening remarks. “At no point during the planning process was Butler County ESU asked to secure the AGR complex, nor the perimeter surrounding that area. At no point during the planning process was Butler ESU asked to deploy a sniper team to the roof of the AGR complex.”
Butler County snipers inside the AGR building could not see the shooter from the roof of the AGR complex, nor was that part of their duties for the day, Lenz added.
The report explains that a Beaver County sniper took photos if Crooks, and sent it to the Pennsylvania State Police.
Soon afterward, when it became clear that a threat was on the roof of the AGR building, an operator with Butler County ESU exited the red barn from behind the stage where Trump was speaking and monitored the AGR building area, Lenz said. He “quickly identified” where the shots were coming from, located the shooter, and fired one round at Crooks with his rifle, “which caused the shooter to recoil and briefly fall out of sight,” the Adams Township officer testified.
Lenz said the Butler County sniper fired at Crooks “less than six seconds after shots began… at a distance of approximately 110 yards.”
A Secret Service counter sniper then fired the fatal shot that took out Crooks.
Edward Lenz of Butler County Emergency Services Unit:
“At no point during the planning process was Butler County ESU asked to deploy a sniper team to the roof of the AGR complex.” pic.twitter.com/OAYGBWwLC4
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 26, 2024
🚨UPDATED LIVESTREAM LINK🚨
Tune in: the Task Force’s first hearing examining the role of state and local law enforcement on July 13th in Butler, PA.
Livestream link here: https://t.co/gZIi9C2N6p
— Task Force on Trump Assassination Attempt (@TFAADJT) September 26, 2024
WATCH MORE of Lenz’s testimony in the video below:
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