BETHEL PARK, Pa. – Gregory Nicol, a sniper with the Beaver County SWAT, felt something was amiss when he noticed a young man lurking around the former President Trump rally site in Butler on July 13.
From his vantage point on the second floor of the AGR complex at the Butler Farm Show, Nicol recognized the man in the gray T-shirt – the would-be attacker Thomas Matthew Crooks – he explained to ABC News.
“He was scanning up and down the building… it just didn’t feel right,” Nicol stated.
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Former President Trump is shown with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is escorted off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
Nicol observed an abandoned backpack and bicycle before he saw Crooks take a rangefinder from his pocket. At 4:26 p.m., he took photos of the young man and the bicycle and forwarded them to a group chat of his sniper team before notifying their command.
“I expected someone would come out to talk to either me or this individual. I was eager to figure out what was happening,” Nicol explained.
Nicol attempted to track the lean man in the gray shirt but lost sight of him as Nicol descended to the first floor while Crooks remained outside.
Less than two hours later, Crooks would unleash a barrage of gunfire, injuring the former president and two attendees and killing firefighter Corey Compartore.
PENNSYLVANIA SWAT OFFICER SAYS TEAM HAD NO CONTACT WITH SECRET SERVICE BEFORE TRUMP RALLY SHOOTING
New drone footage illustrates the sight line Thomas Crooks utilized to fire upon the rally. (Fox News)
As former President Trump began his speech, Nicol noticed attendees diverting their attention from the podium to the roof, with some shouting that someone was up there.
Initially, he felt reassured, thinking “they must have located the individual we were concerned about, and everyone is watching the police handle it.”
Then, Nicol recalled, “That’s when I heard gunfire.”
The team ascended to the roof after the snipers returned fire at Crooks, uncertain if the shooter was alive or dead.
In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Trump on July 14, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks is seen in front of the Butler Fairgrounds in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Bethel Park School District/Getty Images)
“We accessed the roof using that ladder,” team member Rich Gianvito recounted, whose body camera footage from the rooftop was acquired by Fox News Digital. “We had to be prepared for anything since we were uncertain of what we would find.”
SWAT medic Michel Vasiladiotis-Nicol accompanied Gianvito and other local law enforcement onto the roof.
“We climbed that ladder, unsure if we were facing a mass casualty event or something else entirely,” Vasiladiotis-Nicol recalled.
Upon arrival, they discovered Crooks bleeding heavily on the roof, his wrists secured with white zip ties in case he was still alive.
Vasiladiotis-Nicol placed her gloved fingers on the shooter’s neck and confirmed, “he had no pulse at all.”
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Concerns were raised about whether U.S. Secret Service agents on site were capable of effectively overseeing the rally through small, low-placed windows that may not have opened. (Fox News)
Local sharpshooter Jason Woods mentioned their team had no interaction with the U.S. Secret Service until after the shooting occurred.
“We were meant to have a direct briefing with the Secret Service snipers upon arrival, but that never happened,” Woods noted. “This was a key moment when I began to suspect something was off since there was no communication with the Secret Service.”
In response, the U.S. Secret Service stated, “we are committed to gaining a better understanding of what transpired before, during, and after the assassination attempt on former President Trump to prevent future occurrences.”
“This involves full cooperation with Congressional inquiries, the FBI, and other pertinent investigations,” the statement further indicated.
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Assistant Beaver County SWAT leader Mike Priolo remarked, “This is an experience that will stay with us. I recall standing in the parking lot with a colleague, saying we just became part of history, but not in a positive way.”
“I believe we all failed that day,” Priolo expressed. “Lives were lost. If there were any actions we could have taken to avert this, we should have acted.”
