WATCH: Police release bodycam footage of Donald Trump's assassination attempt from Pennsylvania rally
BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA: A new bodycam footage shows a couple of police officers trying to stop Thomas Matthew Crooks on a roof just moments before he is accused of attempting to kill former president Donald Trump during a campaign event last month.
The video was captured by two Butler Township Police Department officers who were trying desperately to stop Crooks just before he shot Trump in the ear with his DPMS AR-15 weapon, killing Corey Comparatore and wounding two others.
"F------ this close, bro. Dude he turned around on me," the officer who was hoisted can be heard saying later on the bodycam video released on Thursday, August 8. One officer can be seen hosting another officer onto the roof where Crooks was stationed, which is about 12 feet above the ground.
Thomas Matthew Crooks pointed his weapon at cop who scaled the building
Butler Township Manager Thomas Knights earlier told Fox News that Thomas Matthew Crooks pointed his gun at the officer who ascended the building until he finally ducked his head, lost his hold on the edge of the roof, and fell roughly eight feet to the ground, spraining his ankle.
Crooks is captured near the end as police surround his body following a fatal shooting by counter snipers.
"I'm f------ p---ed. We couldn't find him," another officer can be heard saying in the bodycam footage, per Fox News.
"Before you motherf-----s came up here, I popped my head up there like an idiot by myself dude," the officer who was boosted onto the roof says. "Then he turned around and I f------ dropped and I started f------ I was calling out bro, f------ on top of the roof. F------ we’re not on the same frequency?"
Butler Police Lt Matthew Pearson says why cop couldn't stop Thomas Matthew Crooks
Butler Township Police Department Lieutenant Matthew Pearson told a local publication that because the officer was hanging from the structure, he was unable to pull his gun.
Crooks fired a few seconds later, giving Trump a minor cut to his right ear. In addition, three other rally participants were shot, one of whom, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, lost his life defending his family.
James Copenhaver and David Dutch were shot at the rally and suffered injuries. Since then, they have both returned home, with Dutch giving the outlet an exclusive comment on the tragic event on Wednesday.
Footage shows cops standing over Thomas Matthew Crooks' body on roof
Later in the body camera video, officers are seen standing on the roof above Thomas Matthew Crooks' body.
The video is the most recent significant piece of publicly accessible data that aims to clarify the specific events of that day and the measures taken to stop Crooks.
Finger-pointing amongst the different authorities involved at the municipal, state, and federal levels has clouded the security lapses that allowed for the shooting.
