Local counter-sniper team was inside building where Trump shooter climbed on the roof and opened fire: sources

A local police counter-sniper team was stationed inside the building where attempted assassin Thomas Crooks climbed on the roof and fired on Donald Trump , law enforcement sources told The Post.

The building — the AGR International Inc. factory in Butler, Pennsylvania — was being used by local police as a “watch post” for snipers to scan for threats as the former president spoke onstage only 130 yards away, according to sources.

Cops were inside, but not on the roof during the shooting, sources said.

Crooks was able to scale the building unchallenged before firing off eight shots with an AR-style assault rifle, grazing Trump in the ear, killing one Trump supporter and wounding two others.

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The revelation comes as local outlet WPXI reported the Crooks was spotted on the building 26 minutes before he opened fire — with one cop from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit even taking a photo of the gunman before the shooting.

Law enforcement sources said it was not clear as of Monday night whether any of the local officers — who were tasked with securing the perimeter outside the Butler County Farm Show grounds — were able to warn Secret Service agents about the gunman.

An officer from the Butler Township Police climbed on a fellow officer’s shoulders to check out the roof of the building moments before the shooting — but backed away after Crooks pointed his rifle at him.

A Butler City police dispatcher told The Post that the Pennsylvania State Police were charged with securing the AGR grounds.

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The state police did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

A variety of local police agencies were tasked with securing the area outside of the Butler Farm Show grounds where Trump spoke — with the Secret Service representative Anthony Gugliemi pointing out that local agencies were responsible for the area where the shooter opened fire.

Law enforcement sources said the building was swept by cops before the event and that the local sniper team used the large manufacturing site as a staging and lookout post — but did not climb on the roof for the event — possibly over concerns that it would interfere with the Secret Service snipers.

Neighbors next to the farm show grounds previously told The Post they were never contacted by law enforcement to set up security in days preceding the event, and photos from the area showed gates into the facility where the shooter sneaked in merely zip-tied shut.

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“Nobody contacted me. Nobody. Nobody called me, nobody stopped here,” said Valerie Fennell, whose property abuts both the farm grounds and the AGR factory.

The state police previously said even though they are regularly called in to assist when politicians come to town, the Secret Service is ultimately in charge.

“Secret Service always has the lead on securing something like this,” State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters.

Footage from the rally appeared to show the Secret Service counter-sniper team who shot Crooks dead training their rifles on him well before he fired at the former president, though it is unclear if they had seen him.

Neither the Butler Township Police, Pennsylvania State Police, nor the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit responded to request for comment on Monday.

The Butler City Police said the AGR grounds were no under their jurisdiction.

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