Investigators are now focused on how the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, managed to access the rooftop and shoot at Trump despite these identified risks
A rooftop, flagged by the Secret Service as a potential security risk before former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally, became the site from which a gunman opened fire. The rooftop, part of a building owned by a glass research company, is adjacent to the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania. According to sources familiar with the agency’s operations, the Secret Service had identified this rooftop as a vulnerability.
“Someone should have been on the roof or securing the building so no one could get on the roof,” said a former senior Secret Service agent involved in the planning.
Investigators are now focused on how the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, managed to access the rooftop and shoot at Trump despite these identified risks. The Secret Service had collaborated with local law enforcement to maintain event security, including deploying sniper teams on other rooftops. However, the building Crooks used was outside the immediate security perimeter, only 148 yards from the stage, which was within range of the semiautomatic rifle he carried.
The Secret Service had delegated responsibility for that building’s security to local law enforcement, a common practice for outdoor rallies, explained Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger highlighted that while his office’s Emergency Services Unit deployed four sniper teams and quick response teams at the rally, the Secret Service directed overall security.
“They had meetings in the week prior. The Secret Service ran the show. They were the ones who designated who did what,” Goldinger said. “In the command hierarchy, they were top, they were No. 1.”
Goldinger added that the Emergency Services Unit was not responsible for areas outside the venue, emphasizing that it was the Secret Service’s duty to ensure comprehensive security.
The former senior Secret Service agent stressed that even if local law enforcement missed securing the building, the Secret Service should have ensured all vulnerabilities were addressed. “Just because it is outside of the perimeter, it doesn’t take it out of play for a vulnerability, and you’ve got to mitigate it in some fashion,” the source added.
The shooting occurred minutes into Trump’s speech. Trump, who later said a bullet pierced his right ear, dropped to the ground as Secret Service agents shielded him. One attendee was killed, and two others were injured. Witnesses outside the security perimeter pointed out Crooks to law enforcement shortly before the shooting. Secret Service agents shot and killed the 20-year-old gunman after the attack began.
Criticism of the Secret Service’s failure to secure the rooftop has come from both political parties, former agents, and security experts. Anthony Cangelosi, a former Secret Service agent, questioned how Crooks accessed the rooftop undetected, highlighting a significant lapse in security planning or execution.
The Secret Service’s security planning for events includes advance planning, establishing a security perimeter, and positioning teams on the ground and rooftops. Despite these measures, questions remain about the agency’s site security plan and its implementation.
Jim Cavanaugh, a retired special agent in charge with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, noted that while the Secret Service responded effectively after shots were fired, the failure to secure the rooftop was a “tremendous lapse.”
“The only way to stop that is you have a lot of people, you get there first, and you command the high ground,” Cavanaugh said. “This is basic, and the Secret Service has done it for years successfully, so I’m really surprised that they did not have that high ground covered.”
Congress members are also demanding answers from the Secret Service and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green and Rep. Ruben Gallego have both called for detailed documentation of the event’s security plan and a thorough investigation into the planning and execution of security measures.
Robert McDonald, a former Secret Service agent, believes the assassination attempt will lead to significant introspection and procedural changes within the agency. Cangelosi added that investigators would likely examine the timeline of identifying Crooks as a threat and the actions taken in response.
The best defense, according to Cangelosi, would have been to prevent the gunman from accessing the rooftop in the first place, emphasizing the importance of proactive security planning.
