PA Sheriff Defends His Force Amid Criticism Following Trump Rally Shooting

Officials in Butler, Pennsylvania, continue to defend their actions prior to the shooting of former Donald Trump last Saturday as blame has been tossed back and forth between local law enforcement and the U.S. Secret Service.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe continues to combat criticism, telling Newsweek on Tuesday that there are “too many fingers being pointed” in different directions for blame on how 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to freely fire from a distance and hit Trump and three others in the crowd, killing one.

“My deputies performed their duties at their assigned areas and went above and beyond after the shooting started and ended,” Slupe said, adding that their actions also consisted of helping civilians and assisting police in clearing nearby buildings.

The Secret Service has blamed local authorities in and around Butler for failing to secure the rooftop where Crooks fired from roughly 130 yards away. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told the New York Times that it was part of the local law enforcement perimeter and not that of the federal agency.

Newsweek made repeated efforts for comment from Guglielmi.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told ABC News in an interview that aired Monday that “the buck” stops with her. She’s faced calls from Republican members of Congress to be investigated and to have her salary decreased.

In a separate press release, Cheatle said, “Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident” and said personnel still on the ground in Pennsylvania continue “to maintain the integrity of the crime scene” as it acts as the lead agency investigating the assassination attempt.

Steve Bicehouse, director of emergency services in Pennsylvania’s Butler County, told Newsweek on Monday that he was tending to a heat-stricken rally attendee some 40-45 yards from the stage where Trump was speaking when he heard gunshots.

His department prepared for the event with “limited interaction” with Trump’s campaign, which did provide funding for fully staffed ambulances. About 50 personnel that included firefighters, nurses and medical technicians—some of which were working for free as volunteers—were on site before, during and after the event as late as 3 a.m.

“From our standpoint, it was all hands on deck,” Bicehouse said. “I can’t say enough about the character of the medical providers that were there and the firefighters provided in other to make this successful. Without them, there would’ve been a lot more victims.”

Kim Geyer, a Republican and vice chairman of the Butler County Board of Commissioners, told Newsweek on Tuesday that “we all want answers” in the event’s aftermath.

“However, it is incumbent upon us as county leaders to allow both the state and federal investigations to play out,” Geyer said. “Meanwhile, we are managing the daily workflow of the county’s business. We are keeping track of the details unfolding and publicly released related to the ongoing investigations.

“At the appropriate time, we will evaluate the facts and will take whatever action is necessary.”

‘Very quiet neighborhood’

Crooks’ neighbors in Bethel Park told Newsweek the past two days that the media sprawl since the shooting has inundated what is considered an area with not much activity.

Kelly Little has lived kiddy corner to the Crooks residence since 2018, saying that she “saw them around” walking, driving and mowing the lawn. When she heard who the shooter was, she expressed “a little bit of surprise.”

“I’m kind of desensitized to all the crazy American stuff,” Little said. “I guess it’s shocking but they have to live somewhere…It’s a very quiet neighborhood. This is a lot.”

In anticipation of the Trump rally roughly 50 miles from Bethel Park, she said she noticed locals and outsiders making their way to the event.

“People were all fired up initially,” she said. “There was a lot of people coming in from other areas. It was pretty obvious [a rally] was going on. A lot of excitement.”

Another neighbor told Newsweek that she was out of town during the shooting, saying she and her husband learned about it “like the rest of the world.”

The woman, who requested anonymity, said that about a week before the shooting her toddler son walked into Crooks in the street by accident. Crooks was walking with his headphones in and not paying attention, she said, and continued on his way after the fact.

“I always bragged that Bethel is a safe community,” another neighbor, David Rusnak, told Newsweek on Sunday. “I think I called it Mayberry last week.”

Rusnak has lived on the same street as the Crooks residence since 1991. He didn’t know the family but was aware of the house.

“It’s surreal,” he said. “It’s like life is more ordinary or normal than you think sometimes. It kind of takes away that lofty myth of, ‘It happens elsewhere.’

“You build that whole drama up that’s in some system somewhere and it’s coming from some 20-year-old who for some reason decides to get into violence.”