‘He’s Got a Gun!’: Witness Describes Watching Shooter Get Into Position

Nathan Steadman and his daughter, Emma, live not far from the farm show grounds in Butler, Pa., where former President Donald J. Trump held a campaign rally on Saturday. Emma Steadman, 19, isn’t a Trump fan, but the two were looking to spend some time together, so they decided to check it out.

Without tickets, they joined a crowd hanging out under a tree with a view of the rally,taking photos and videos, Steadman, 45, a senior account manager at a consulting firm, said in an interview on Monday.

Within minutes of Mr. Trump taking the stage, Mr. Steadman said, he noticed people pointing at a nearby warehouse building, and he went to take a closer look. The people who were pointing said someone had gone to find a police officer, who said he couldn’t see anyone up there.

Then, Mr. Steadman said, he saw the gunman crawl across the roof and pull out the black barrel of a gun. Mr. Steadman looked at his daughter, who was about 30 feet away, and screamed: “He’s got a gun!” His voice can be heard in a bystander video that has been repeatedly featured in news reports.

The gunman then rolled over onto his back, Mr. Steadman said, and fired two shots toward the other end of the building he was on. Mr. Steadman ran, and heard another flurry of gunshots seconds later, he said.

The Secret Service and local police agencies are facing intense questions about how the gunman was able to get in position to fire at Mr. Trump. President Biden has requested an independent review of the security precautions, and Republicans in Congress plan to hold a hearing next week.

The building where the gunman positioned himself was outside of the perimeter, which meant it would have been secured by local law enforcement.

Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s