Local police in Butler County, Pennsylvania, had alerted the Secret Service that they did not have the resources to station a patrol car outside a key building during President Trump’s rally on Saturday, according to local and federal law enforcement sources.
This building later became the vantage point from which a gunman shot at Trump, wounding him and leaving one rallygoer dead and two others critically injured.
District Attorney Richard Goldinger confirmed that the local police department informed the Secret Service about their inability to assist with securing the Agr International building. A Secret Service official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, corroborated this account. The building's expansive roof provided an unobstructed view of the stage where Trump was speaking. The building's location was just outside the rally’s security perimeter.
Authorities are still investigating how the 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, accessed the building and positioned himself on the roof. The lack of local police resources has raised questions about the adequacy of security measures for the high-stakes campaign event.
The Secret Service’s advance planning had included a proposal to station a patrol car and officer outside the Agr International building, though this never happened.
Also in a stunning new development, it has been revealed that the 20-year-old gunman was present at President Trump’s rally for three whole hours before he opened fire. His presence had already sparked suspicions among Secret Service agents because he was carrying a rangefinder, a device commonly used by hunters to take long shots.
It has also emerged that the parents of the gunman had contacted law enforcement in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to express concerns about their son's whereabouts and report him missing.
The incident is now under multiple investigations. The FBI is leading the criminal investigation, while Congress is planning hearings, and Biden has called for an independent probe. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, Joseph Cuffari, has announced an investigation into the Secret Service’s actions before and during the rally.
On Wednesday, officials from the Secret Service, the Department of Justice, and the FBI are scheduled to brief the Senate on the incident, followed by a briefing for the House. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who has taken responsibility for the security failures, acknowledged in an interview that the agency relied on local law enforcement for areas outside the security perimeter, including the Agr International building.
Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret service was responsible for the overall security plan, but the agency had to heavily rely on local law enforcement for areas outside the perimeter, including the building scaled by Crooks. She explained that the decision was made to secure the building from the inside due to the safety issues presented by the sloped roof. She claims the Secret Service’s countersniper teams initially struggled to spot the shooter because of the roof’s incline and surrounding trees.
Inspector General Cuffari, a controversial figure due to past criticisms and calls for his resignation, is overseeing the DHS probe. Cuffari has previously faced scrutiny for his handling of issues related to the January 6 Capitol protest, specifically failing to immediately contact Congress about the Secret Service erasing its text messages from that day, as well as internal misconduct within DHS.
This shooting, the most serious security breach since the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981, has sparked broad questions about the Secret Service’s planning and response strategies. The agency's reliance on local law enforcement and the decision-making processes leading up to the rally are now under intense examination.
