Secret Service Failure at Trump Rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
Minutes before shots rang out at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, signs of trouble were clear: Police received reports of a suspicious man pacing near a magnetometer and were apparently exchanging suspects Photo. the witness yelled, pointing to an armed man on a nearby rooftop.
Investigation and Oversight
President Joe Biden has ordered an independent investigation into the assassination attempt. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he had “full confidence” in the Secret Service’s leadership, but admitted the shooter never should have reached that deadly location.
“We’re talking about failure,” Mayorkas told CNN. “We will use an independent review to analyze how and why this happened and make recommendations and findings to ensure this never happens again.”
Law Enforcement Response and FBI Investigation
Authorities said they believe the shooter’s AR-style rifle was purchased by his father. Investigators don’t know yet whether Crooks took the gun without his father’s permission, said Kevin Rojack, FBI special agent in charge in Pittsburgh. The rooftop where Crooks was sitting was less than 150 meters (164 yards) from where Trump was speaking, a distance within which a decent shooter could reasonably hit a human-sized target. At this range, U.S. Army recruits must hit a human-sized silhouette to qualify for an M-16 rifle.
The FBI has conducted nearly 100 interviews with law enforcement officials, rally attendees, and other witnesses and received hundreds of digital media tips. The agency believes Crooks had bomb-making materials hidden in his car on the way to the rally and that he acted alone.
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