EXCLUSIVE: BETHEL PARK, Pa. — Shocking cellphone video shows chaos at Butler Farm on Saturday after Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, wounding the former president, killing one rallygoer and seriously injuring two others.
The video shows bystanders crouching down and asking authorities for help after the shooting stops.
“We've got someone down,” a man is heard shouting as he waves his arms. “Hey!”
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Law enforcement officers stand over the body of would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks on Saturday, July 13, 2024. The gunman killed at least one person and wounded the former president in his attempt. (Todd the Driller)
The camera pans to the stage as Trump stands, flanked by Secret Service agents, and raises his fist.
Todd, the Army veteran who took the video and asked to be identified only as Todd the Driller, said he initially offered to drive his son to the rally but was concerned the crowd might be too rowdy.
WATCH: Exclusive video shows the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Trump
He said he was relieved when the 9-year-old boy wanted to leave, but then both the boy and his 12-year-old daughter asked for Trump campaign hats, so he ended up attending alone.
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Todd arrived early and FaceTimed his kids from a row of vendors. They picked out their hats. He bought them and then headed to the stage.
VIDEO: Exclusive video shows new perspective on Trump assassination attempt
The rally started late, he said, but when Trump arrived, he had a good vantage point near the north fence.
He had been taking photos and videos to send to his son, but when the shooting began, his phone was in his pocket and he was listening to Trump's remarks.
“I had no idea I was in the lane of fire between the shooter and President Trump, but when I heard the crack, I knew what it was,” he said. “It happened right behind me and the bullets whizzed by about 20 feet to my left.”
A man calls for help for a person who was shot by a sniper at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. At least one person is dead, while the former president was shot in the ear. (Todd the Driller)
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Todd, who is neither a Democrat nor a conservative, said he votes on two issues: He is pro-life, and as an oil driller, he favors lawmakers who support the industry that puts food on his family's table.
Snipers neutralized the threat, but not before Crooks, 20, killed a 50-year-old father of two named Corey Comperatore, and seriously wounded David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, according to authorities.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Todd pulled out his phone and recorded the president standing up, surrounded by Secret Service agents.
But when he turned around to see what was happening behind him, what he saw shocked him. The Secret Service members and law enforcement officers inside the security perimeter couldn't get out without jumping a fence — until a sheriff's deputy drove his car through it to let them out.
“Law enforcement was confused and couldn't do their job because no one had the foresight to open that door and place a guard there to control entry,” he said.
Fortunately, a Secret Service sniper neutralized the gunman before other officers and law enforcement agents reached him on the roof.
Authorities are closing in on the suspected gunman from where he fell after the U.S. Secret Service returned fire following an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Still, the security breach has sparked widespread criticism over preparations made for a presidential candidate's campaign event.
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted that Crooks had been labelled a “potential suspect” before the assassination attempt.
In an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, he said that Secret Service Crooks was aware of the building's security vulnerabilities and positioned himself as a sniper to target Trump. However, the decision was made not to place personnel on the roof.
Undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks in a yearbook photo. Crooks is suspected of being the shooter in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
“That particular building has a sloped roof at its highest point. So there's a safety factor that has to be taken into account – we don't want to put someone on a sloped roof. So the decision was made to secure the building from the inside,” he said.
Although he was just steps away from one of the victims, Todd was not injured. He said he was still “decompressing” on Tuesday.
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“I wasn't supposed to be there that day, and that was God's plan for me for some reason,” she said. “I had no idea I was walking into history when I went to buy a hat for my kids.”
When things calmed down, Todd went to see his family.
“I gave the hats to my kids,” she said. “And I took a silver Sharpie marker and wrote inside the bill in small print '7/13/24, I love you, Dad,' and gave them a big hug and a kiss.”
