Police Officer Encountered Shooter Before He Fired At Trump: REPORT

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

A law enforcement officer encountered shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks before he fired at former President Donald Trump Saturday during a Pennsylvania rally, The Associated Press reported Sunday.

Crooks pointed his rifle at an officer who climbed onto the building roof, prompting him to retreat down the ladder, two anonymous law enforcement officials told the AP. Crooks then fired his weapon at Trump.

Rally attendees had earlier alerted police that a man was climbing onto the roof of a building near the rally, the two officers told AP.

Trump’s ear was wounded in Saturday’s assassination attempt. Before Secret Service rushed him off the stage, Trump gestured to the crowd by raising his fist, video shows.

One attendee, identified as former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, was fatally shot Saturday. Two others were critically injured.

County sheriff tells @washingtonpost a local officer came face-to-face with the gunman seconds before the shooting but dropped back down to the ground because the officer was gripping the roof and didn't have a gun in his hand https://t.co/hssKOxulkW pic.twitter.com/VeV5tiY2lp

— Isaac Stanley-Becker (@isaacstanbecker) July 14, 2024

Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe told The Washington Post Sunday that a police officer encountered Crooks moments before he fired at Trump.

A witness told BBC News during an interview Saturday that he tried to warn police about the assassination attempt after noticing “a guy crawling” up the building and seeing that he “clearly” had a rifle, but he said the police responded with confusion. The individual alleged security did nothing for several minutes.

“They didn’t know what was going on,” the witness told BBC News. “We’re like, ‘hey, right here on the roof, we can see him from right here! We can see him.

Related Topics:#DailyCaller #KatelynnRichardson ButlerCountySheriffMichaelT.Slupe DonaldTrumpShooting ThomasMatthewCrooks

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Crime

Officials Arrest Father Of Suspected Georgia School Shooter

Published on September 5, 2024

Todayville

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Hailey Gomez

The father of 14-year-old Colt Gray, the suspected shooter at Apalachee High School, was arrested by Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) officials, according to a Thursday press release.

GBI officials announced the arrest of 54-year-old Colin Gray in connection with the Georgia high school shooting on Wednesday, which killed four people and injured nine others. Colin Gray is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, according to officials.

Colt Gray was arrested Wednesday morning after officials had received calls of a shooting occurring at the high school. GBI Director Chris Hosey and Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith confirmed during a press conference the 14-year-old had been a student at the school and will be “tried as an adult.”

UPDATE #2 – September 5, 2024:

In coordination with District Attorney Brad Smith, the GBI has arrested Colin Gray, age 54, in connection to the shooting at Apalachee High School. Colin is Colt Gray’s father.

(1/3)

— GA Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) September 5, 2024

Local authorities had made contact with the Gray family in 2023 following anonymous tips to the FBI about alleged threats.

Colin Gray had allegedly bought the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack for his son at a local gun store as a Christmas present, a source told CNN. The timeline provided to officials by the 54-year-old father puts the purchase of the gun allegedly months after officials had first contacted the family to investigate school shooting threats made online, the outlet reported.

The victims of the incident have been identified by GBI officials as 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, 14-year-old Christian Angulo, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Christina Irimie.

Crime

Hunter Biden pleads guilty to tax charges, avoids public trial

Published on September 5, 2024

Todayville

From The Center Square

By Kenneth Schrupp

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty under an Alford plea, in which one maintains one’s innocence while admitting the prosecution has enough evidence to find one guilty.

Hunter Biden, the sole surviving son of President Joe Biden, pleaded guilty Thursday in Los Angeles to avoid a trial on nine federal tax charges that include three felonies and six misdemeanors.

The charges involve failing to file and pay $1.4 million in taxes, filing falsely, and claiming false and fraudulent business deductions.

The House Oversight Committee found the Biden family and associates received more than $20 million from overseas, including entities in China and Russia. The indictment alleges Hunter Biden spent this money on drugs and prostitutes while not paying taxes.

“Between 2016 and October 15, 2020, the Defendant spent this money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes,” the indictment said.

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty under an Alford plea, in which one maintains one’s innocence while admitting the prosecution has enough evidence to find one guilty. This is different from a nolo contendere plea, which unlike the Alford plea does not require special court approval, and is often entered in which the defendant neither admits or disputes the charges. While a nolo contendere plea is often viewed as a tacit admission of guilt, the Alford plea is viewed as a relatively lesser admission of guilt. Hunter Biden now avoids a public trial that would involve witnesses detailing his life during the period in which he allegedly committed tax fraud.

Hunter Biden was investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for securities fraud under the Trump administration, and was found guilty of felony gun charges for lying about his drug use on a gun purchase form and possessed a firearm while using illicit drugs. Hunter Biden is set to be sentenced for his gun charges, for which he can face up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines, on November 13, a week after the 2024 presidential election.