A Secret Service source confirmed to Scripps News that the agency did not sweep the rooftop from which a gunman shot at former President Donald Trump Saturday, saying it was up to local law enforcement to secure that building.
The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, gained access to the rooftop of a building nearly 150 yards from where Trump was speaking to a rally crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania. From there, Crooks fired multiple rounds toward Trump, injuring the former president and two rally attendees and leaving one man dead.
The gunman’s clear line of sight to the former president has sparked numerous questions as to how the Secret Service handled the rally, prompting President Biden to order an independent review of the agency’s actions surrounding the event.
RELATED STORY | Secret Service agrees to participate in independent review of its actions in Trump shooting
The Secret Service source’s statement to Scripps News confirms that the building was a blind spot in the security radar, but the source says it was up to local law enforcement to sweep it, as it was outside of the perimeter that the agency would secure.
Scripps News reached out to local authorities regarding the source’s statement and has not gotten a response.
In an interview with CNN, Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said one of his officers encountered the shooter on the rooftop but that the officer “dropped his grip and fell to the ground” after the shooter turned toward him.
Slupe told CNN the shooter likely started firing shortly thereafter, but he defended the actions of his officers.
“You’re not going to be so many feet away to give the shooter an opportunity to shoot you,” he told CNN. “So the officers absolutely did what they needed to do and what they’re trained to do.”
RELATED STORY | Shooter reportedly used a ladder to gain access to roof in Trump assassination attempt
In recounting the agency’s response and subsequent killing of the shooter, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said, “Personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter-sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former President Donald Trump.”
She said since the attack, she has been in constant contact with Secret Service personnel in Pennsylvania who maintained the crime scene until the Federal Bureau of Investigation assumed its role in leading investigation efforts.
Cheatle said the Secret Service is now participating in the president’s investigation into the assassination attempt “to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever taking place again.”
The findings from the president’s internal review will be shared with the public.
