Northeast
Pennsylvania officer at Trump assassination attempt says he needs 'empire' amid Secret Service staffing woes
Bodycam footage from the Butler Township, Pennsylvania, Police Department obtained by Fox News Digital on Thursday through a records request shows a single officer’s efforts to help people after the Trump assassination attempt on July 13.
“This is way above my pay grade. Whoever you have coming, I need an empire,” the officer can be heard saying around the 3:40 mark in the footage captured just seven minutes after gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks began shooting from the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building directly outside the rally perimeter.
The officer can also be heard saying, “We have been told that somebody was looking out a window. I do not know who was inside,” possibly referring to the interior of the AGR building.
Other bodycam footage released Thursday reveals confusion among officers from different agencies regarding why there was no law enforcement presence on the AGR roof and how Crooks went unnoticed.
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Law enforcement responds to the roof of the AGR building in Butler, Pennsylvania, after a July 13 assassination attempt against former President Trump. (Butler Twp. Police Dept.)
There was also confusion about whether Crooks had been neutralized or if there was still an active threat minutes after the shooting.
Two Butler police officers who were originally assigned to traffic duty went to the AGR building just seconds before the gunfire in an attempt to get a better look at the roof after hearing reports of a person possibly on top of the building. In a bodycam video, one officer can be seen boosting another onto the roof to try and get a better look at Crooks.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM NEWLY RELEASED BODYCAM
Thomas Knights, Butler Township manager, previously told Fox News Digital in an interview that the officer looking onto the roof saw Crooks point his rifle at him, at which point he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
“Once the suspicious individual report came out, and our police arrived in the immediate area of the building, they did do a perimeter search — were unable to see the person on top of the building from the vantage point,” Knights explained at the time. “So one of our other police officers… literally boosted one of our [other officers] up high enough in the air to grab hold of the edge of the roof.”
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: TEXTS REVEAL OFFICERS WERE AWARE OF THOMAS CROOKS 90 MINUTES BEFORE SHOOTING
The officer was able to pull himself up so that his “head was above the roof” because there was no other way to access the roof at that moment. The approximate distance from the ground to the edge of the roof where the officer got hold is 12 feet, Knights said.
Buildings adjacent to the Butler Farm Show, site of a campaign rally for former President Trump, are seen July 15 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from the roof of the building complex and wounded Trump on July 13 during an assassination attempt. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The officer “did observe an individual on the roof,” who “was identified as having a weapon” and “did point that firearm at our officer,” Knights said.
The officer took a defensive position from where he was hanging on the edge of the roof, ducked his head, and lost his grip, at which point he fell “approximately eight feet” to the ground and sprained his ankle, the township manager explained.
In additional video released Thursday, a police officer can be heard saying he “told” the Secret Service to have officers on the roof of the building.
“I told them that f—ing Tuesday. I told them to f—ing post guys over here.”
“I f—ing told them they need to post the f—ing guys over here… the Secret Service,” the officer says.
“I thought you guys were on the roof,” another police officer can be heard saying.
“No, we were inside,” the first officer says.
The Secret Service responded to the footage in a Thursday evening statement, saying it is aware of the videos from local police.
“The U.S. Secret Service appreciates our local law enforcement partners, who acted courageously as they worked to locate the shooter that day. The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was a U.S. Secret Service failure, and we are reviewing and updating our protective policies and procedures in order to ensure a tragedy like this never occurs again,” it said.
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Pittsburg, PA
‘Nonsense’: Country singer hits back with real reason why show was cancelled
Morgan Wallen has made plenty of headlines in recent days, but he’s been forced to speak out about “nonsense” rumours after cancelling a recent show.
The singer, 33, addressed why he cancelled his Pittsburgh show over the weekend on his Instagram stories on Sunday, days after his mid-performance meltdown.
Country singer Morgan Wallen has hit back at the ‘nonsense’ surrounding his recently cancelled show in Pittsburgh due to wind. Instagram/@morganwallen
“This morning, my team walked on the bus and told me they had been consulting with local officials and that I should cancel my show in Pittsburgh tonight and I said, ‘Why?’” the country singer explained.
“They said that there was going to be strong winds in the area, and I said, ‘OK.’ So, that is what I did in that moment, and I trusted my team.”
Wallen said that he was aware that the forecasted winds hadn’t hit Pittsburg, but had hit nearby areas in Pennsylvania, which was a big reason why they made the call to cancel.
“The truth of the matter is, I have a large stage that, in those conditions, could become fatal to a lot of folks around it. So, I did the best I could with the information I had in that moment,” he continued.
Wallen then hit back at rumours that have been swirling around because he wanted to clear the air.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of nonsense about me that is simply not true, and I just wanted to clear the air,” he continued.
“I think my true fans know that that’s not how I operate in general, but I had to say it.”
Wallen’s video came hours after it was announced that the second Pittsburgh show of his Still The Problem Tour was cancelled.
“After talking with local officials and my team, there is no choice but to cancel tonight’s show due to severe adverse weather conditions expected throughout the rest of the day and night,” he wrote online.
“Safety for my fans and crew is the highest priority.”
Wallen added that refunds would also be available for ticket holders.
The singer’s stadium tour will continue until August 1. Getty
But fans were not impressed and plenty of people slammed him for cancelling the show, even though the weather had reportedly cleared before he would have hit the stage.
Wallen made headlines earlier this month after an on-stage meltdown when he experienced issues with his piano on stage, flipping it and breaking it in front of the audience.
The country singer was mid-song when the piano malfunctioned, so he pushed it, flipping it. Instagram/@countrycentral
He was performing the hit Sand In My Boots when the tech issue started and decided to push it over.
The audience gasped as the piano seemingly broke, before the singer walked off and continued the song a cappella.
Connecticut
Person shot in New Haven; injuries not believed life-threatening, police say
In a post on X, New Haven Police Department said officers were out with a shooting victim in the area of Orchard and Charles streets at 6:43 p.m.
Police said the victim’s injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.
New Haven police Officer Christian Bruckhart said the scene was still active as of 6:45 p.m.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Maine
Maine astronaut Jessica Meir shares stunning aurora view from ISS
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, (WGME) — Maine native and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir is giving us a look into her view from the International Space Station.
Meir shared this breathtaking view on X Sunday. It’s a stunning aurora show.
Meir is the commander for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission.
Maine native and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir is giving us a look into her view from the International Space Station. (Courtesy of Jessica Meir)
She says there is a lot going on right now on the space station.
A few days ago, astronauts had to deal with a leak.
Meir says everyone on board is safe and happy to see the spectacular views.
The SpaceX Crew-12 has been up in the stars for 115 days.
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