BUTLER, Pa. (WDNews) – The rooftop where the gunman fired at former President Trump on Saturday, July 13, had been identified as a vulnerability by the Secret Service before the rally, sources say.
The Secret Service flagged a building near the rally site as a security concern before the rally. Today, many Americans are criticizing how the gunman was not apprehended before the shooting took place.
The building that the gunman scaled was a glass research company, only 148 yards away from the Butler Farm Show, which was the outdoor venue where Trump was speaking.
The Secret Service worked with local law enforcement to maintain event security, including sniper teams positioned on rooftops to identify and eliminate threats, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
However, no officers were stationed at the building the gunman used. The building was outside of the event’s security perimeter, but was within range of a semiautomatic rifle, like the one the gunman used.
The Secret Service had designated that rooftop as being under the jurisdiction of local law enforcement, a common practice in securing outdoor rallies, Guglielmi said.
However, local law enforcement agencies say that the Secret Service agents were in charge of security outside the venue.
The lapse in security resulted in former President Trump’s ear being pierced by a bullet, as well as leaving one attendee dead and two others critically injured.
After the gunfire started, Secret Service personnel shot and killed the 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks.
