Republican lawmakers said they will launch a swift investigation into how a sniper managed to evade Secret Service agents and climb to the roof of a building where Donald Trump was speaking at an election rally and fire several shots before being killed.
While details about the incident are still scant, initial media reports said the shooter was outside the security perimeter of the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania. At least one person interviewed by the BBC said he tried to alert the police and the Secret Service, but to no avail.
Trump supporters criticised the Secret Service, which has primary responsibility for protecting Trump as a former US president. Billionaire ally Elon Musk called on the agency’s leadership to resign.
Conservative activist Jack Posobiec asked on the social media site X, “How was a sniper allowed to crawl onto the rooftop closest to a presidential candidate with a full rifle kit?”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on social media that the House will “bring Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the FBI to hearings before our committees as soon as possible.”
The Secret Service said shortly after the shooting that it had launched an investigation and informed Democratic President Joe Biden, Trump’s rival in the Nov. 15 election, though the agency did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment about its protocols.
Pennsylvania State Police referred questions to the Secret Service, but it did not immediately respond.
Ben Maser was listening to Trump outside the rally when he noticed two officers looking for someone. Maser, a 41-year-old welder, also began scanning the area.
“I saw the guy on the roof. I told the officer he was up there. He went out looking for him,” Messer said.
Joseph LaSorsa, a former Secret Service agent who served on the president’s security team, said the attack would certainly trigger a review of Trump’s security and that he would be given the same level of security as the current president in the future.
LaSorsa said the incident “will be thoroughly reviewed” and “massive realignment will be done.” “This can’t happen.”
The Secret Service said in a statement that it had recently added “protective resources and capabilities” to Trump’s security arrangements, though it did not provide details.
A retired agent who worked in the security services and asked not to be named said there should be an internal review of the incident, and ideally an external review as well.
“Given the gravity of the situation, a thorough investigation is required to prevent such failures in the future and ensure accountability at all levels,” the former agent said.
Securing Trump’s rallies
During most of Trump’s campaign stops, local police assist the Secret Service in securing the venue. Agents from other Department of Homeland Security agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration, also sometimes help.
This is no easy task. Many of Trump’s rallies draw thousands of spectators, take place in the open air, and last for hours.
Before the event, agents check the venue for bombs or other threats, and Trump always arrives in a reinforced motorcade.
Law enforcement officers typically set up barriers as a perimeter, and all attendees must pass through metal detectors to enter the venue. Armed security agents search all attendees’ bags and even purses. Many rally attendees are also subjected to hand searches.
Paul Eckloff, a former Secret Service agent who retired in 2020, said agents may have surveyed all rooftops ahead of time.
“These people either kept themselves hidden until they became a threat, or they weren’t a threat until they showed their weapons,” Ekloff said.
Moments after Trump was injured, the former president was surrounded by Secret Service personnel who formed a human shield, while heavily armed agents also arrived on stage, wearing body armor and carrying rifles and appearing to scan the area for threats.
Trump was placed in a black SUV by agents and taken to a local hospital, according to the campaign.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
