(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Headline USA has exclusively obtained audio of the moment when a rooftop gunman tried assassinating Donald Trump—as heard through the ears of local law enforcement on the ground.
This publication obtained the trove of local police radio communications Monday, in response to a Right to Know Law request last month.
Previously, the public only had access to a time-stamped transcript of the radio communications—also thanks to this publication. But now, the audio gives people a chance to hear what law enforcement sounded like.
🚨‘SHOTS FIRED! SHOTS FIRED!’🚨
Listen to Local Police’s Response to the Trump ShootingHeadline USA has obtained a trove of local radio communications from the July 13 Trump shooting in Butler. We received hundreds of filed today and plan to release them all. But first, hear…
— Headline USA (@HeadlineUSA) December 17, 2024
Headline USA plans to release every one of the hundreds of radio communications that it obtained earlier Monday. But for now, this article is focused on the fateful moment when alleged would-be assassin Thomas Crooks opened fire.
Audio released by Butler County includes four different officers who reported shots fired: Butler Township Police Department Sgt. Tom Vensel, Butler County Sheriff’s Deputy Terry Walker, Butler ESU commander Ed Lenz, and one other officer whose identity is unknown.
As the audio demonstrates, Walker and the unknown officer made similar calls at 6:11p.m.: “Shots fired, shots fired.”
Sgt. Vensel was more animated: “Shots fired! Shots fired! Shots fired! Shots fired! Roof of the [AGR]!”
Meanwhile, Commander Lenz, who was facilitating communications inside the local command post, was the calmest of the bunch. Lenz started his communication by deploying his quick reaction force, or QRF, team to the ARG building amidst the search for Crooks—telling the ESU that there was “a male on the roof with a long gun.” Lenz was interrupted when firing began, and that’s when he reported the shots.
While Lenz remained calm, he also seems to be at least partially blameworthy for the failures at Butler. According to the radio communications, he knew about someone being on the rooftop since 6:08 p.m. He notified officers on Channel 3 of the local radio comms, but as the audio in this article shows, he did not tell his snipers until just before Crooks opened fire. Those sniper, who were inside the second floor of the AGR building, could arguably have stopped Crooks if they knew he was on the rooftop earlier.
Lenz has not responded to this reporters questions about the matter.
Stay tuned for more sounds from Butler law enforcement…
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
