Trump shooting: Three counter-snipers were posted on same building from where Crooks fired

Yet another chilling detail is emerging from the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump: At least three counter-snipers were positioned in the very same building from which Thomas Matthew Crooks fired the shots.

These snipers were from local police, and different from the Secret Service counter-snipers who eventually shot and killed Crooks, split-seconds after he fired up to nine rounds at Trump and managed to bleed the former US president during his campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (Jul13).

The shocking details are being reported by local media outlets like Beaver Countian, based on interviews with local police sources.

"There were three counter-snipers located in the building that the shooter eventually used to take shots at Trump," an officer was quoted as saying by BeaverCountain.com

According to the report, an officer even took a photo of the shooter.

It is being reported that Crooks managed to scale the roof through an air conditioning unit.

VIDEO - Trump shooting: 'Man on roof!', cops were warned before shots fired

Beaver Countian in its report said that a local cop had warned the command centre of seeing a man with a range finder before Trump was shot.

The officer said the man was "scoping out the roof of the building" he was stationed in as a counter-sniper, adding that the man returned with a backpack before ultimately scaling the building.

Law enforcement sources cited by the outlet said lack of manpower and "extremely poor planning" put Trump's life in danger.

Separately, local channel WPXI reported that Crooks was spotted nearly half an hour before he ultimately fired at Trump.

After the police sniper warned the command centre, officers went to the building and tried to climb to the roof. But the shooting had already happened before that.

(With inputs from agencies)