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A sheriff in Butler County, Pennsylvania defended local police officers who confronted the shooter before he opened fire, crediting them with saving Donald Trump’s life.
After the assassination attempt against the former president, local law enforcement has been the subject of criticism, including from the Secret Service.
It emerged that Trump’s would-be assassin was able to start shooting even after having been briefly confronted by officers.
But Butler Township Manager Tom Knights defended local police on Tuesday telling NBC News: “Our officers acted instinctively, did their job, followed the training that they had.” He detailed how one officer “boosted” up another so he could hang on the edge of the roof, allowing him to see the shooter.
That’s when the gunman aimed his rifle at one officer, prompting the officer to duck and lose his balance. The two officers then alerted others that there was an armed person on the roof.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe also came to the local police’s defense, telling the New York Post that the brief distraction may have actually saved Trump’s life.
As the shooter was focused on the former president, Slupe said: “These guys breach the roof…So [the shooter] turns around and potentially eliminates that threat.”
Just a few seconds’ difference could have made for a worse outcome for the former president, Slupe told the outlet. “Can you imagine 10 seconds before that? That [Trump] was looking straight ahead and where that bullet could have potentially landed,” the sheriff said.
Trump has said that he tilted his head “at the exact right time and in just the right amount” to save his life. The assassination attempt happened mere minutes into his campaign event.
“Now timing is everything,” Slupe continued. “If I’m interrupted and I move my gun, you are going to have to reassess that whole situation at this point, so yes, you can make a case that those two officers saved the president’s life.”
Slupe’s remarks come days after Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told ABC News that “local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building.”
The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by authorities on the scene after firing his AR-15-style rifle into the venue. He killed one spectator, former fire chief Corey Comperatore, and left two others critically injured. Trump suffered a gunshot wound to the ear.
The FBI is investigating the incident.
Trump showed up to the Republican National Convention on Monday with a bandaged ear. He has thanked God for preventing “the unthinkable from happening.”
