The local police officer who encountered the would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump “did not retreat” and tried to grab his gun but fell backwards, injuring himself in the process. The officer is now in “pretty bad” mental shape, Butler Township Commissioner Edward Natali said, explaining that media outlets are wrongly blaming local officers for what happened Saturday evening in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Speaking to Breitbart News Daily, Natali explained that seven local police officers were tasked with traffic control — nothing else.
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“I’m going to say that that building was discussed earlier in the week. That was confirmed to me. I wasn’t directly in the loop of all the preparations, but I can tell you, my team had a very good operational plan for that day, but it was all traffic control,” he said, emphasizing that they were “strictly there for traffic control.”
“When you look at Secret Service, Pennsylvania State Police, Butler County Sheriff’s Department, the butler Township police only responsibility was traffic detail,” he said, correcting the record by noting that the local officer who saw the shooter on the roof was not climbing a ladder but was hoisted by another.
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“He was not in a position to engage the suspect at all. He was actually being assisted. There was an officer on the ground, and the ground officers kind of hoisting him up, you know, kind of in a military thing where you have your hands cupped, and he’s standing on his hands, and he had both his hands on the edge of the roof. He’s picking his head up to see where the suspect is. The suspect turns his rifle and points it at the head of my officer,” he said, noting the officer was not in a position to engage.
Further, he said the officer “did not retreat,” despite assumptions made in the media.
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“Obviously, he’s not in a position to engage him by any means, and he did not retreat. It’s not that he didn’t want to engage. He could not engage,” he said, explaining, “He let go of the roof to try to get his gun, and of course, he fell backwards, actually getting injured in the process.”
He emphasized the officer was in a vulnerable position, using the edge of the roof to “help lift himself up, or he’s, you know, so he is in a very vulnerable position.”
“He couldn’t wield his gun,” he said, explaining that his team of officers is “completely shook up, demoralized.”
“It’s really sad for them, because they’re taking a beating. And, you know, the media, social media. … We’ve set up counseling for them. You know, we’re obviously all the commissioners, not just me. We’re talking to them, you know, supporting them. My wife, yesterday went and bought a bunch of us, you know, meat and cheese trays and things this to show hey, we love you guys and we appreciate what you do,” he said.
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When asked specifically how the officer is who encountered the shooter, Natali said “his mental state is pretty bad.”
“It’s pretty bad. I don’t think he’s — I haven’t checked today, but I think he’s — he hasn’t reported back say fit to serve duty right now. Yes, I haven’t talked to the police chief this morning,” he said.
Host Mike Slater asked if he could send a positive message to that police officer, letting him know many do not blame him for what happened.
“Exactly right, Mike and honestly, I know where your heart is. I know your Biblical worldview. That’s the same worldview I have. So I have full faith and confidence in your sincerity in those comments,” he said, expressing his goal of setting the record straight on his behalf.
“I’ve been engaging other media. Sent an email to a New York Times reporter. It’s just, you know, I want to make sure that you know people know that my team, you know, they serve with honor and dispel all the same rumors and innuendos and misinformation out there,” he added.
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