In July, a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter gained access to the roof of a building by climbing onto an air-conditioning unit and positioned himself about 450 feet away from where Trump was speaking. The shooter, identified as Thomas Crooks, used a collapsible barrel gun to move through the crowd undetected. Despite warnings from witnesses and a local police officer, the Secret Service agents protecting Trump were not alerted in time to prevent the shooting.
The shooter was eventually killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper, but not before one rallygoer was killed and two others were wounded. The incident led to the resignation of the Secret Service director and multiple officials being put on leave. Investigators are still trying to determine how the gunman was able to get on the roof without being detected and are reviewing video footage from a nearby ice cream shop to gather more information.
Since the shooting, Trump has held his first outdoor rally in Asheboro, North Carolina, speaking from behind bulletproof glass. The assassination attempt has raised concerns about the security measures in place at such events and has prompted a review of the Secret Service’s procedures and actions leading up to and responding to the incident.
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