(Ken Silva, Headline USA) In the immediate aftermath of the July 13 assassination attempt on Donald Trump, rumors swirled about a possible “second shooter” on the nearby water tower looking over the Butler, Pennsylvania rally-turned-crime scene.
“What I’ve heard coming out is they feel there were two shooters, one on both sides. They got the one on the tower, but the one on the right side they never got. That’s why they wanted us to leave immediately: because they thought there was still a shooter out there,” Butler rallygoer Erin Autenreith told NBC on live television minutes after the shooting.
Holy shit an eye witness is reporting 2 shooters pic.twitter.com/DtrJRdZrx7
— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) July 13, 2024
Since then, speculation has continued, with public officials such as Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, combat vet Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and former Navy Seals sniper Eli Crane, R-Ariz., raising questions about the role the water tower played in the Trump shooting.
In his preliminary findings on the Trump shooting on Friday, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., aimed to debunk conspiracies about the water tower—specifically, videos circulating online that show a dark spot on top of the water tower, which has led to speculation that may have been a second shooter.
According to Higgins, the ladder to climb the water tower was never lowered to the ground on July 13.
“If there had been someone on that tower on J13, it would have to have been some top-shelf operator way beyond anything I’ve ever actually seen. Regular SWAT operators or snipers would not have the skills and gear to quickly overcome the first 25 feet of no ladder and then climb the remaining 75 feet to the catwalk, and then climb the quite intimidating and precarious dome vent access ladder,” Higgins said in his report.
“It is true that the vent area at the very top of the water tower is the only point that would have allowed a clear line of sight to both Trump and Crooks’ firing position. I sighted out this fact very carefully during my hours on the ground at the Butler Farm/AGR/ water tower crime scene area. However, I do not believe it was possible for a ‘2nd shooter’ sniper to be on top of that water tower on J13.”
Clay Higgins' report aims to debunk the water tower conspiracies, but then says police left their post an hour 'prior' to the shooting.
I haven't written an article bc I assume this was a typo and he meant 'after,' but his press secretary hasn't responded to my emails seeking… pic.twitter.com/WGhelRsKep— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) August 19, 2024
Higgins said he’s open to the possibility of a second shooter, his early investigation has yielded no evidence of that.
“I’m not saying conclusively that there was no other shooter somewhere or that no other conspirators were involved in J13, but I’m saying that based on my investigation thus far, there were 10 shots fired on J13, and all shots are accounted for, and all shots align with their source,” he said, adding that he plans on climbing the water tower as part of his future investigation.
While aiming to debunk water tower conspiracies, Higgins’s report may actually inflame them. That’s because his report said the police officers assigned to guard to the water tower left their post in the hour “prior” to the shooting.
That section of the Higgins report is bizarelly worded, and Headline USA is leaving open the possibility that it was a typo. However, Higgins’s press secretary has not responded to numerous messages seeking clarification.
The bizarre section of the Higgins report reads as follows: “Two local cops, non-ESU officers, were assigned to be parked in the water tower area as ‘response’ units for traffic issues or whatever. They DID leave that post, but only in the hour prior to shooting.”
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
