Butler County ESU member says he fired the ninth shot during J13 assassination attempt; Secret Service later stopped shooter

Sergeant Aaron Zaliponi, a patrol sergeant with the Adams Township Police Department and a SWAT operator in the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, told a House Oversight and Reform roundtable that he fired the ninth shot during the J13 assassination attempt and that the Secret Service later neutralized the threat.

The exchange matters because it clarifies how local tactical teams and federal protective agents engaged the shooter during a complex, fast-moving attack and provides a first-person account of timing and shot placement.

Zaliponi described his actions in detail: “As the fourth round was shot from Crooks, that's when I saw him on the rooftop and took sight on him,” he said. “As soon as he fired his eighth shot, I squeezed off number 9. And he slumped over his rifle to his right, and then he fell out of my view.” He told the committee he was standing about 14–15 yards from the shooter and using a standard M4 with a red-dot optic. He estimated roughly 5.85 seconds elapsed from the first round fired to his shot. The Secret Service’s counter-sniper team then fired what witnesses described as the final (tenth) shot that ended the threat.

Colonel Robert T. Hodges, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, who had been invited to the roundtable as a panelist, and other witnesses described a coordinated multi-agency response to the attack. Committee members emphasized the split-second nature of the decision space facing on-scene officers and asked panelists to explain the sequence of fire and how local and federal teams coordinated. Sergeant Edward Lehi, identified in the transcript as commander of Butler County ESU, described deployment of the unit's quick reaction force as events unfolded and said local officers were still assessing the ground picture when Zaliponi engaged from his position in the field.

The panel discussion did not include formal findings or votes; the session was an informal roundtable intended to collect candid testimony and explanation from officers who were present. No committee action was taken at the meeting to change policy or initiate a formal investigation. The witnesses and members discussed operational details, including weapon types, optics, distances, and timing, and the record captured those first‑hand statements for the public record.

The witnesses asked that their frontline experiences be included when lawmakers consider training, equipment, and interagency protocols for protective events going forward. The roundtable ended without committee votes or formal directions to staff.