A series of serious security lapses led to a gunman firing multiple shots at former President Trump, killing a retired fire chief and wounding two others at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Although armed security personnel responded quickly, whisking a bloodied Trump off the stage after Saturday's assassination attempt, questions about security lapses are mounting.
Among the topics that have been discussed:
- How the gunman was able to access the roof of a nearby building and why authorities were unable to stop him before he opened fire: According to law enforcement sources not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, the building was supposed to be under surveillance by local law enforcement because it was not in the immediate vicinity of the shooting site. But the gunman was able to reach the roof and was visible for some time.
- When authorities learned of the threat: Videos show some people in the crowd noticed the gunman and tried to get law enforcement's attention more than a minute before he shot Trump. Local police say one officer went up onto the roof just before the shooting but had to retreat because the gunman moved to shoot him.
- Whether Secret Service snipers could have shot the gunman before he launched his attack. Videos from the rally show Trump standing at a lectern with two Secret Service snipers positioned on a rooftop in the background. In the seconds before Trump was hit by gunfire, the snipers can be seen peering through a scope and adjusting their rifles before firing. Investigators are also examining those tactics, according to law enforcement sources who are not authorized to discuss the investigation.
According to authorities, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, shot the former president with an AR-style rifle from more than 150 yards away. One bullet grazed Trump's ear before Secret Service snipers returned fire, killing Crooks seconds later.
A person not authorized to discuss the investigation said Crooks' father purchased the rifle in 2013 and that Crooks bought about 50 rounds from Allegheny Arms & Gun Works in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on the morning of the shooting.
The FBI has begun to piece together the shooter's movements before opening fire. It has been established that he went to a gun club in Clairton, Pennsylvania, and fired the weapon, bought a ladder at a home goods store and acquired ammunition, the sources said.
Steve Gordon, a retired Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team sniper who reviewed video of the shooting posted on social media, said he saw a slight delay before Secret Service snipers shot Crooks. Gordon said the delay was because the officer was trying to find his target.
The investigation is also examining communications between local police and the Secret Service.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said the shooting was “unacceptable” and “something that should never happen again.”
Cheatle said local police were inside the American Glass Research building where Crooks was located.
“There were local police officers in that building. There were local police officers in the area who were responsible for the outside perimeter of the building,” he told ABC News in an interview.
Cheatle said the Secret Service shared its support for the building where Crooks was located, as well as the inner perimeter of the rally site.
People take cover after former President Trump is shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
(Evan Vucci/Associated Press)
Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement that the Secret Service requested 30 to 40 of its officers to help secure the inner perimeter of the rally on Saturday.
State police said securing the property and the building Crooks was on the roof was not part of the troopers' job description. It's not clear which agency was responsible for securing that building.
Law enforcement became aware of Crooks' presence after people alerted security guards that a man was acting strangely outside the rally site. Attendees saw Crooks walking near magnetometers at the event's entrance, the Associated Press reported.
The warning prompted a search for Crooks, who managed to bypass security and climb onto the roof.
In several videos from the rally and shared on social media, attendees can be heard shouting, “He’s got a gun!” as they point to the nondescript rooftop where Crooks was located.
When local police were alerted to the gunman lying on the roof, officers attempted to climb up but were deterred when the gunman pointed his gun at them, forcing them to duck for cover, Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told local news stations.
Although the gunman was visible to those at the back of the building, the angle of the roof meant it was much harder for Secret Service snipers to see him until he aimed his weapon over the top.
Butler resident and rally attendee David Bocci was sitting about 50 or 60 yards from Trump's stage on Saturday.
He said he watched as armed Secret Service snipers atop the building behind Trump looked around with binoculars. About three minutes later, he heard what he thought were fireworks. When the noises continued, he realized they were gunshots. He said he heard Secret Service yell, “President down!” and panic ensued.
Bocci fell to the ground along with the rest of the crowd before seeing Trump stand up and raise his fist in the air a few moments later.
“I found it mind-blowing that [Secret Service] “We were looking and aiming in that direction for so long and somehow the shooter still shot first,” he told The Times.
Police snipers return fire after shots were heard during former President Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
(Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)
Troy Douthett of the Butler City Council dismissed as “nonsense” the Secret Service's claim that the shooter was outside its security perimeter.
“Anything in plain sight should be under their surveillance,” Douthett told The Times.
“Local security forces are not prepared to protect a president. To me, that is madness. We have full expectations that professionals will be professionals,” he added.
On Monday, the FBI gained access to Crook’s cellphone, searched his car and home and conducted nearly 100 interviews with “law enforcement personnel, event attendees and other witnesses,” according to an agency news release.
The agency has also received “hundreds of tips on digital media” from the public, including images and videos from the scene. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or (800) 225-5324.
Times staff writers Goldberg and Lin reported from Pennsylvania; Solis and Winton from Los Angeles.
