Police responded to a call of a “suspicious male” around the same time former President Donald Trump arrived for his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, according to Butler Township Manager Tom Knights.
Knights said in a statement Wednesday that the report of the suspicious male placed him as being near the AGR building, where Trump’s would-be assassin ultimately launched his attack.
Knight’s statement did not provide a timeline of the incident. Trump arrived at the rally sometime before 6 p.m. ET and shooting occurred at 6:12 p.m. ET.
Officers did not initially locate the person around the building, according to Knights’ statement. He said an officer then tried to access the roof with the help of a colleague who tried to hoist him up. The officer scaling the side of the building saw an individual on the roof who pointed a rifle at him, Knights said.
Butler Township Police “immediately” communicated the individual’s location and shared that he had a gun but, “Moments later, the individual commenced firing,” according to the statement.
Knights’ description of the officer seeing the gunman on the roof but lacking the ability to engage him matches what Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe told CNN Sunday.
Knights said that the Butler Township Police had been tasked with traffic control at the rally.
