What went wrong with security at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally
Here are several issues and problems identified by CNN that could or should have been addressed before the attack on former President Donald Trump. In addition, CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller provided his analysis of some of the issues and their importance.
Unsecured rooftop in range of the stage and with clear line of sight
The building used by the gunman was outside the “hard perimeter” set by the United States Secret Service inside which every person is screened. But less than 500 feet from the stage, the building was within shooting range and had a clear line of sight to where the former president stood to address the crowd.
Building access not controlled
No one stopped the shooter from reaching the roof of the American Glass Research building.
Potential confusion about law enforcement presence
Snipers from the Butler County Emergency Services Unit were in the same complex, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN, but were not aware of the gunman on the roof. They were positioned on the second floor, watching the rally crowd, the source said.
Agencies initially blamed each other, unclear who was in charge of that area
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told ABC News her agents only “shared support” for the building used for the shooting.
“We sought assistance from our local counterparts for the outer perimeter,” she said. “There was local police in that building – there was local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building.”
Cheatle said in the same interview that protection for Trump was the responsibility of the Secret Service and “the buck stops with me.”
Crowd flagged gunman on roof almost 2 minutes before shooting
Attendees in the crowd noticed the gunman on the roof nearly two minutes before the shots were fired, according to a CNN analysis of witness video and the official video feed of Trump’s speech.
As Trump questioned if Biden “was doing the job,” someone on the video said, “Look they’re all pointing.” One minute and 57 seconds later, gunfire can be heard.
“My wife ran up to law enforcement and was trying to tell them where he was,” Mike DiFrischia, a witness who took video of the shooting, told CNN’s Erin Burnett. “But they couldn’t seem to see him because they weren’t in the right spot to see him on the roof. They were too close to the building.”
Shooter was apparently seen acting suspiciously early by security cordon
The shooter was spotted by local law enforcement who thought he might have been acting suspiciously near the magnetometers on Saturday, according to a senior law enforcement official.
They put it out over their radio to keep an eye on him – and that information was passed to Secret Service as well, according to the source. When the shooter left the area of the magnetometers, he apparently wasn’t seen again until people alerted law enforcement in a field outside the event that he was on the rooftop.
Local officer unable to tackle gunman before he fired at stage
Butler Township police officers were alerted to calls about a suspicious person near the rally on Saturday, the head of another law enforcement agency told CNN. They discovered the man on the roof and one local officer hoisted another to get up to the ledge, Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe said. The shooter turned around, saw the officer peering over and pointed his gun at him. The officer let go of the ledge to “take cover” and save his life. The gunman then started firing from the rooftop.
Reporting by CNN’s Pamela Brown, Shoshana Dubnow, Justin Lear, Holmes Lybrand, John Miller and Whitney Wild.
- Despite being outside the "hard perimeter" controlled by the United States Secret Service, our analysis reveals that the building where the gunman was located was within shooting range of where former President Donald Trump stood, and no one from the local law enforcement stopped the shooter from reaching the roof.
- During the rally, several people in the crowd noticed the gunman on the rooftop and even alerted local law enforcement, but unfortunately, they seemed to be unable to locate him due to their position being too close to the building.
