Warning: This story contains graphic content.
Graphic bodycam footage has captured Secret Service and law enforcement officers standing over the body of a gunman moments after he attempted to assassinate Donald Trump.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot dead after he fired eight rounds toward the former president from a rooftop during an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
At least one of the bullets clipped Trump’s ear, while Corey Comperatore, 50, was fatally struck in the head and two others were seriously wounded.
Footage released today from the of office of Republican Senator Chuck Grassley shows bodycam vision of the shooter lying in a pool of blood in the moments after the shooting.
In the video, a Secret Service agent can be heard saying: ”A Beaver County sniper seen and sent the pictures out, this is him.”
“I don’t know if you got the same ones I did?” an officer asks the agent in reference to the photos.
“I think I did, yeah, he’s (the shooter) got his glasses on,” the agent replies.
Grassley said he released the footage, obtained by Butler County Emergency Services Unit, to demand transparency and accountability for the Secret Service’s security failures.
Trump meets with former UK prime minister after attempted assassination
Cheatle had been facing growing calls to resign and several investigations into how the shooter was able to get so close to the Republican presidential nominee.
“I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she said in the email to staff on Tuesday (early Wednesday AEST).
“In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.”
Previous reports indicated the shooter, who was dressed in grey camouflage, managed to clamber atop a roof about 140 metres from the stage where Trump spoke.
The Secret Service had declared the rooftop to be outside its security perimeter raising serious questions as to how the agency failed in its core mission.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have promised continued investigation into the oversight, along with an inspector general probe and an independent and bipartisan effort launched at President Joe Biden’s behest that will keep the agency in the spotlight.
“The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases,” Cheatle said in her note to staff.
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