'Tried To Alert Cops, They Didn't Respond': Eyewitness Recounts Moments Before Trump Shooting

Donald Trump, leading the Republican presidential race was addressing supporters in Butler when gunfire erupted. He grimaced and ducked before being rushed off-stage by US Secret Service personnel. Blood was visible on his face as claimed a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.

Greg Smith, an attendee at the rally, told the BBC that he saw a man crawl on top of a building just outside the event in Butler County. According to Greg, the suspect was carrying a rifle.

"We noticed the guy bear-crawling up the roof of the building beside us, 50 feet away," Smith said. "He had a rifle, we could clearly see a rifle."

Smith said he tried to alert the cops present at the rally but thought they probably could not see the gunman because of the slope of the roof.

"I am thinking to myself 'Why is Trump still speaking, why have they not pulled him off the stage'... the next thing you know, five shots ring out," Smith said.

Smith called the attack on the former President a total security failure. "Why is there not Secret Service on all of these roofs here?" he asked. "This is not a big place."

Witnesses Alert Police

A witness at Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally has claimed that the suspected shooter was spotted minutes before the former President was fired at, according to a BBC report.

The witness also claimed that he and others at the rally alerted the police about him but they did not respond with urgency.

"We're pointing at him, the police are down there running around on the ground, we're like 'Hey man, there's a guy on the roof with a rifle'.. and the police did not know what was going on," he added.

Suspect Identified

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified the suspect as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20. He was a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The suspect was gunned down by Secret Service personnel minutes after the attack.

According to Pennsylvania's voter records, Crooks was a registered Republican. The motive behind his action has not been established yet.

Greg Smith mentioned that he and others at the rally alerted police about seeing a man with a rifle on top of a building. However, their warnings were met with little urgency from law enforcement officers present at the scene.

"We noticed this guy bear-crawling up onto a roof nearby," Smith stated. "He had a rifle; it was clear as day."

Despite their efforts to point out this potential threat to police officers below, it seemed they were unaware due to their position on ground level.