A local law enforcement officer reportedly saw a man carrying a range-finder outside the Donald Trump rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, thirty minutes before the attack.
According to Fox News, the officer shared the information with other authorities, who speculated if the would-be assassin was carrying binoculars to have a better view of the rally.
Numerous videos have surfaced on social media suggesting the alleged shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was seen by the public on the roof of a building prior to the assassination attempt.
“We noticed the guy bear-crawling up the roof of the building beside us, 50 feet away from us,” a man told the BBC. “He had a rifle. We could clearly see him with a rifle.”
“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 continued.
The man said he tried to alert the Secret Service for a few minutes about the gunman.
