US - Shots fired at Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania as former president is seen with blood across his face, 13 July 2024

[MassGuy]

Rooftop where gunman shot at Trump was identified as a security vulnerability before rally: sources

Two sources told NBC News that the Secret Service flagged a building near the rally site as a security concern. Investigators will be scrutinizing how a gunman was allowed to scale it.

www.nbcnews.com

-The rooftop where a gunman shot at former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally was identified by the Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days before the event, two sources familiar with the agency’s operations told NBC News.

The building, owned by a glass research company, is adjacent to the Butler Farm Show, an outdoor venue in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Secret Service was aware of the risks associated with it, the sources said.

“Someone should have been on the roof or securing the building so no one could get on the roof,” said one of the sources, a former senior Secret Service agent who was familiar with the planning.

-The Secret Service worked with local law enforcement to maintain event security, including sniper teams poised on rooftops to identify and eliminate threats, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. But no officers were posted on the building used by the would-be assassin, outside the event’s security perimeter but only about 148 yards from the stage — within range of a semiautomatic rifle like the one the gunman was carrying.

-Although it’s common to task local law enforcement agencies with patrolling outside an event’s security perimeter, Cangelosi said, the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that all vulnerabilities are covered rests with the Secret Service.

If officials had placed an officer on the building where the gunman fired from, Cangelosi said, chances are he “wouldn’t even attempt what he attempted.”

“You don’t surrender the discretion of what’s supposed to be done to the local police,” he said. “In other words, you guys have the outer perimeter, but you would want to say, ‘We need an officer on that roof.’ Not ‘that’s your responsibility; do what you see fit.’”

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

The ladder is interesting to me. If his vehicle is one of the ones seen nearby the building in the ladder pic, how did he get the ladder there? Taller aluminum ladders can shorten, but not enough to not be placed on a rack or truck bed.

Yeah, the ladder looks graduated to me, like top steps are narrower than lower steps, like a folding stepladder, compared to extension ladders that are the same width top to bottom. Maybe that is fixed to the exterior. If so, how convenient for him. If not, how did he get it there, as you said, even a day or so earlier?

 

[Knox]

I cropped it. It’s behind and to the left of those trees, for anyone confused. View attachment 517903

Is that a permanent access ladder on the building or a portable? It looks strange, maybe it's distorted.

Darn bush is in the way, no matter what angle I look. Google Maps

 

[Luce2842]

The Scanner has over a thousand listeners, but nothing is being transmitted. I’m sure Secret Service has it blocked.

Yeah the news reporter said they had no phone signal aswell!

 

[Gemmie]

Here’s the ladder stuff:

Several rallygoers reported to local officers that Crooks was acting suspiciously and pacing near the magnetometers, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. Officers were then told Crooks was climbing a ladder, the official said. Officers searched for him but were unable to find him before he made it to the roof, the official added.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told the AP that a local officer climbed to the roof and encountered Crooks, who saw the officer and turned toward him just before the officer dropped down to safety. Slupe said the officer couldn’t have wielded his own gun under the circumstances. The officer retreated down the ladder, and Crooks quickly took a shot toward Trump, and that’s when Secret Service snipers shot him, according to two officials who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

In the wake of Trump's attempted assassination, investigators search for clues around the motive

Investigators hunt for clues about what may have driven the 20-year-old shooter to try to assassinate former President Donald Trump.

apnews.com

Stupid question (and not my first! lol)... We've been told local LE was assisting at the event, and we know SS has a way to communicate between each other. That was very evident in the moments after DT was shot. My question is... does local LE that were at the event have a way to contact SS to say "Snipper on the roof!"?

 

[Ruminations]

Rooftop where gunman shot at Trump was identified as a security vulnerability before rally: sources

Two sources told NBC News that the Secret Service flagged a building near the rally site as a security concern. Investigators will be scrutinizing how a gunman was allowed to scale it.

www.nbcnews.com

The advance team saw the roof.

 

[Diddian]

JMO, the Convention will be the safest place on earth. It's in a building, which is much easier to secure and monitor. They've had months to prepare for it. Everyone will have to pass through metal detectors, areas will be restricted, etc. No one will be able to get within several blocks of the place without ID.

I was a national delegate in 2016 and can tell you that is entirely true. We went through security with Secret Service on the way into the Convention area each day (after having had background checks done long before we ever showed up) and they wouldn't even let you take any locally-purchased souvenirs in if they were big and heavy enough that they could be thrown and cause damage (I had to surrender a couple mugs from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as I'd purchased them without thinking of the security aspects.) The SS agents were very gracious about it - offered to hold the items and give them back on the way out, but they were not taking any chances, EVEN with people they had thoroughly checked out. And the perimeter where this security was located was some distance from the Convention Center itself.

 

[Simply Southern]

ETA.. @MassGuy , oops didn't see your post

Very long, very detailed article. It appears they were very few secret service at the event. Teams were "filled" my local law enforcement.

I wonder if they treat the president, vice President, and visiting dignitaries events the same way? The same law applies to all.

Rooftop where gunman shot at Trump was identified as a security vulnerability before rally: sources

Two sources told NBC News that the Secret Service flagged a building near the rally site as a security concern. Investigators will be scrutinizing how a gunman was allowed to scale it.

www.nbcnews.com

The rooftop where a gunman shot at former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally was identified by the U.S. Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days before the event, two sources familiar with the agency’s operations told NBC News.

....The Secret Service was aware of the risks associated with it, the sources said.
.....
The Secret Service had designated that rooftop under the jurisdiction of local law enforcement, .....
.....
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said his office maintains an Emergency Services Unit team that deployed four sniper teams and four “quick response teams” at the rally. But he said the Secret Service agents were in charge of security outside of the venue.
.....
Guglielmi, the Secret Service spokesman, said the agency had two of its counterassault agents at the event and filled out the rest of the platoon with at least six officers from Butler County tactical units. The Secret Service also deployed two countersniper teams. Two other security units needed for the event were staffed by local law enforcement agencies, Guglielmi said. Those details were first reported by The Washington Post.

 

[vls12345]

I think that ladder was already there. It may even be affixed to the building.

I looked at google maps street view in that parking lot and didn't see the ladder there. Perhaps the tall bushes are blocking it but from any angle, I couldn't see it. Which makes me wonder if he brought it with him? Found it somewhere the grounds and used it? Or what?



Meridian, Pennsylvania

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Meridian, Pennsylvania

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[Quim The Extraordinaire]

<snipped for focus and RBBM>

The last thing I want to hear tonight, is kumbaya, hug your neighbor and let's all be one happy family. I think if that's the message the American public will be infuriated.

This is a very serious situation, an attempt was made on a previous president and public figure running for office.

It's a .... tell us what you know, and let's move on and try to heal, or they can let this fester.

Moo

MOO. Yes, agreed — say what is known and what is unknown.

Yes, it’s serious, which is why LE should be serious about the investigation and the security profiles.

I respectfully disagree that they should be driven by public fury. That’s about seeking scapegoats, not answers. In fact, some killers and assassins seek to provoke public fury to further their own sick needs. MOO.

 

[bestill]

Was there a ladder? I missed that. Why would a ladder be up against a building. That might be an invitation for problems.

I'm confused about this too. Did the building have a metal ladder that many do or did he bring one?

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Stupid question (and not my first! lol)... We've been told local LE was assisting at the event, and we know SS has a way to communicate between each other. That was very evident in the moments after DT was shot. My question is... does local LE that were at the event have a way to contact SS to say "Snipper on the roof!"?

Not a stupid question at all! I would sure hope they’d have the ability to communicate stat.

 

[MassGuy]

Stupid question (and not my first! lol)... We've been told local LE was assisting at the event, and we know SS has a way to communicate between each other. That was very evident in the moments after DT was shot. My question is... does local LE that were at the event have a way to contact SS to say "Snipper on the roof!"?

Great question, and logic says yes, but we just don’t know.

If that is the case, maybe it’s just LE supervisors who have that capability. That would mean a delay in relaying it from officers to supervisors to SS.

I’d love to know the answer.

 

[Knox]

Rooftop where gunman shot at Trump was identified as a security vulnerability before rally: sources

Two sources told NBC News that the Secret Service flagged a building near the rally site as a security concern. Investigators will be scrutinizing how a gunman was allowed to scale it.

www.nbcnews.com

-The rooftop where a gunman shot at former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally was identified by the Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days before the event, two sources familiar with the agency’s operations told NBC News.

The building, owned by a glass research company, is adjacent to the Butler Farm Show, an outdoor venue in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Secret Service was aware of the risks associated with it, the sources said.

“Someone should have been on the roof or securing the building so no one could get on the roof,” said one of the sources, a former senior Secret Service agent who was familiar with the planning.

-The Secret Service worked with local law enforcement to maintain event security, including sniper teams poised on rooftops to identify and eliminate threats, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. But no officers were posted on the building used by the would-be assassin, outside the event’s security perimeter but only about 148 yards from the stage — within range of a semiautomatic rifle like the one the gunman was carrying.

-Although it’s common to task local law enforcement agencies with patrolling outside an event’s security perimeter, Cangelosi said, the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that all vulnerabilities are covered rests with the Secret Service.

If officials had placed an officer on the building where the gunman fired from, Cangelosi said, chances are he “wouldn’t even attempt what he attempted.”

“You don’t surrender the discretion of what’s supposed to be done to the local police,” he said. “In other words, you guys have the outer perimeter, but you would want to say, ‘We need an officer on that roof.’ Not ‘that’s your responsibility; do what you see fit.’”

Oh the IRONY of everything stated in this article. No chit sherlock!!

 

[blueJayJay71]

How sad. It sounded like a BB gun to me which is why the injury doesn't look too serious as far as the physical damage.

It was an AR-15. Folks saw the shooter climbing up the side of the building,they told police & security. Apparently it fell on deaf ears. No pun intended. This isn't how America is. This isn't what we stand for.

 

[Betty P]

If he was denied entry to the rally, perhaps this was a back up plan. The explosives in the vehicle a third plan. ? It will be interesting to know if he had planted the ladder on the property ahead of time, and if so was this property actually swept by LE/SS? If so, was it missed? If not, why not.

Is there a verified source for the photo that shows a ladder was placed there? Just checking as sometimes people will photoshop these things. TIA

 

[Knox]

ETA - See MassGuys cropped photo.

Here's what the witness who first saw Crooks said, "we saw a guy crawling, army, bear crawling up the roof of the building". Hear his account for yourself Trump rally: Witness says he saw gunman minutes before shots were fired

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Sorry to quote myself.

I think the witness was talking about Crooks crawling up to the roof peakline, not the point he was going up the ladder to the roof - as I initally assumed.

 

[Betty P]

It was an AR-15. Folks saw the shooter climbing up the side of the building,they told police & security. Apparently it fell on deaf ears. No pun intended. This isn't how America is. This isn't what we stand for.

It didn't fall on deaf ears because an officer did respond and climbed up there. I have a feeling there were some communications problems on site between Secret Service and local or state LE. Secret Service does this type of specialized work every day, local LE doesn't. It's out of their usual type of policing.

 

[Seattle1]

I just don't get how someone in shorts was mistaken for a team member? Has anyone seen any other SS, Local LE, Security Staff at this event in shorts? Regardless, it's a MAJOR fail.

^^rsbm

Not making any excuses here but just to say I mistakenly took early images of TC as a look alike team member wearing long pants.

A witness who spoke very early to BBC told how he was assembled with others at the fence line when he first saw TC "bear crawling" on a building roof. Witness reported he started pointing and motioning to the building roof about 50 feet from where he was standing. He said he was motioning to security personnel he'd already seen, and/or personnel he was aware had binoculars trained on him.

While the witness never described TC's clothing or that the individual "bear crawling" on the roof was wearing short pants, I can say that in the first photos I saw of TC both alive and after he was deceased, I mistakenly believed he was wearing long pants. It wasn't until I saw a bloody photo of TC by somebody standing over his body that I realized his was wearing short pants with a black belt!

Again, I initially mistook the shooter as dressed in beige fatigues with a beige shirt with square badge of the US flag sown on the sleeve.

I'm also not aware of anybody coming forward yet to say they saw him in the car park, carrying the rifle, approaching one of these low buildings, or how/when TC climbed on top of the roof.

However, what I understand better today that the event venue was actually a fairgrounds with low farm buildings. IMO, I think TC strategically timed his arrival/shooting when Trump was midway into his presentation on stage (with large charts on screens), and where all eyes and ears were on Trump. JMO

 

[vls12345]

https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-the-latest-trump-calls-for-unity-after-apparent-assassination-attempt/

The article includes somewhat of a timeline.

Also, "They said they have located a suspicious device and defused it. They have received more than 2,000 tips."