The U.S. Secret Service acknowledged a critical security lapse during former President Donald Trump's July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, leading to a horrifying shooting incident.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe admitted on Friday that the agency failed to sufficiently protect Trump from the rooftop shooter at the event, resulting in tragic casualties, as Breitbart reports.
During a press conference, Rowe faced the media to discuss the agency's shortcomings in the protection of Trump at the aforementioned rally. A shooter, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, managed to infiltrate security and fire on the crowd, leading to devastating outcomes.
The rally ended in tragedy when Crooks took advantage of a poorly monitored rooftop near the rally's perimeter. According to Rowe, Crooks shot Trump and took the life of one attendee, while injuring two others. The lack of adequate rooftop surveillance was highlighted as a glaring oversight in the protection strategy.
“This was a failure. We should have had better protection for the protectee,” Rowe stated. He elaborated that the building, which was close to the outer perimeter, should have had more presence and better coverage from the Secret Service’s point of view.
Rowe emphasized the need for more vigilant eyes on such critical positions, particularly rooftops, which offer strategic vantage points. The rooftop, in this case, was left inadequately covered, leaving a vulnerable spot in the security layout.
A video taken by one of the injured rally-goers surfaced, showing Crooks running on the roof in unrestricted fashion. This footage, along with a detailed timeline provided by the FBI, painted a clearer picture of the movements and actions of the shooter on that fateful day.
Rowe admitted that the Secret Service’s counter-snipers failed to detect Crooks on the roof either with or without a firearm until he opened fire. This significant lapse allowed Crooks to position himself and carry out the attack undetected. “As far as the timeline of him running back and forth, I know the FBI has provided a bit of a chronology as well. And so I’d have to go back and look at that,” Rowe noted, underscoring the complexity of reconstructing the events based on available data.
Despite the video evidence and available reports, the root cause of the failure boiled down to a lack of comprehensive surveillance, especially on vantage points such as rooftops. “But the bottom line is…this was a Secret Service failure. That roofline should have been covered. We should have had better eyes on that,” Rowe confessed.
In a direct response to a question from Sen. John Kennedy, Rowe confirmed that the counter-snipers did not spot Crooks until the shooting commenced. This critical delay in detection underscored the need for procedural and technological improvements in the Secret Service’s operational protocols.
During the press conference, Rowe's remarks highlighted the gravity of the oversight and the urgent need for corrective actions. Enhanced training, better technology deployment, and comprehensive surveillance systems on potential threat points are likely to be among the steps taken moving forward. Moreover, the tragedy has spurred discussions on the re-evaluation of security measures not only for high-profile political figures but also for public events that attract large crowds. Such measures could prevent similar incidents in the future.
Recapping the events, a shooter named Thomas Matthew Crooks exploited a lapse in the surveillance of a rooftop during Donald Trump's rally on July 13, leading to a fatal shooting. Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe acknowledged the agency's failure and stressed the need for better rooftop surveillance. The incident and its aftermath highlight the importance of robust, multi-layered security measures in protecting public figures and attendees at large events.
Rowe's acceptance of responsibility marks a pivotal moment for the Secret Service, initiating a phase of intense scrutiny and potential reform. Ensuring such lapses do not recur will be paramount for the agency going forward.
