Sisters who spotted Trump rally gunman seconds before shots fired speaks out

BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. — Two Butler Township sisters were at Trump’s rally Saturday when they said they spotted the gunman just moments before the shots were fired.

Suzanne and Jean Vincent were with other family members and didn’t think there was any sort of threat.

PHOTOS: Former President Donald Trump rushed off stage after shots fired at rally

“We felt very secure,” said Jean Vincent. “It was a beautiful day and next thing I know, we’re all seeing Trump getting shot.”

The Vincent sisters went to the campaign rally to gain more clarity on the Republican presidential candidate, but the day turned into horror.

“The fear of hearing those bullets buzzing past you and then thinking about what happened in Pittsburgh at the synagogue, thinking of what happened in Las Vegas, how many are out there with rifles and are they just going to start shooting us?” Suzanne Vincent said. “It was a nightmare. It was a nightmare.”

>> Trump rally gunman spotted by law enforcement nearly 30 minutes before shots fired, sources say

Just as the former president took the stage at the Butler Farm Show, the Vincents noticed something unusual.

“We heard whispers in the audience that there was a possible person over on the roof, and when you looked over, you just assumed it was part of Secret Service just scoping out what they’re supposed to be doing,” Suzanne Vincent said.

They saw that person on top of the American Glass Research (AGR) building fewer than 150 yards away.

“My son said they got a scope on somebody and was like, ‘Don’t worry, they’re watching someone,’” said Jean Vincent.

Suzanne Vincent said, “You couldn’t really make him out. You just seen the movement and something dark, so you assumed it was Secret Service. All of a sudden you hear pop, pop, pop.”

FBI agents said Thomas Crooks, 20, fired the shots piercing Trump’s ear, hurting two others and killing a father of two.

“He is a hero,” said Suzanne Vincent. “He did everything he could to try and save his family.”

Channel 11 has learned that Beaver County snippers also saw the gunman moments before the shots were fired and alerted the command center, but it was too late.

“It’s a wake-up call. It can happen in anyone’s backyard,” Jean Vincent said. “Unfortunately, this is the shot heard around the world and Butler County is put on the map now.”

Despite what the sisters went through, they said they would go to another Trump rally in hopes of having more security on hand. They added that things about security and protocols can be learned from Saturday’s rally.

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