What the hell happened and how was it possible? These questions will be at the heart of the FBI’s investigation into likely multiple failures by the Secret Service and others in the run-up to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
The shooter, who appears to have used a high-powered semi-automatic rifle, possibly an AR-15, was able to establish his position on the roof of a building in full view of some of the crowd in the “bleachers,” or tiered seating.
It is believed that some people in the crowd tried for several minutes to draw the attention of security officers to this man with a rifle, but the police do not seem to have responded quickly enough.
What we still don’t know is whose job it was to ensure that this roof, just 150 metres from the stage, was safe.
During my 25 years with the FBI, I have seen countless similar demonstrations organized, and I find it highly likely that the Secret Service was responsible for security within a closed perimeter, while local police handled the larger area outside.
Donald Trump defiantly punched the air after being shot at a campaign rally
Frank Figliuzzi, an FBI agent for 25 years, believes communication failures between the Secret Service and local law enforcement may be to blame for the failure to prevent the shooting.
The responsibility of each position, each area, each roof must be clearly assigned and this division of roles should have been clear to everyone.
This is standard Secret Service practice. It takes place at hundreds of events during the run-up to an election, but it is also potentially new territory for every local police department.
It may have been years since you last saw a political rally in your city. You may even have never witnessed one there before.
News cameras also showed the presence of soldiers in camouflage, probably members of the National Guard. Their role and whether their presence in any way hampered security will also have to be investigated.
We know that a Secret Service sniper must have had a clear view of the rooftop because gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot dead just seconds after opening fire on Trump.
But why did the sniper ignore Crooks until then? One plausible explanation is that the Secret Service (which is entirely independent of the FBI) assumed the killer was a police sniper, part of its security detail.
Immediately after the shots were fired, former President Trump was wrestled to the ground behind reinforced barriers by U.S. Secret Service agents.
Snipers are positioned on the roof of a building behind the podium at Saturday’s campaign rally.
This implies serious communication failures. When it comes to planning events like this, you would expect police and Secret Service teams to not only meet and introduce themselves, but to define in detail their specific roles. They should have been able to recognize each other by sight.
They should also have checked twice at every stage of the rally, to make sure they knew who everyone was and what they were doing. That’s basic stuff.
In the coming days and weeks, the agency will piece together every detail of the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, using witness statements, CCTV and media footage, as well as amateur phone footage shot by members of the public.
They will also review audio recordings, including radio communications between the various branches of law enforcement. These recordings should be turned over to the FBI immediately and I expect they will be made public in due course.
We will then have a clearer idea of how Crooks was able to access the roof, why his presence did not seem to alarm security personnel, and why the concerns of people in the crowd were not addressed with an effective response.
The investigation should also focus on the aftermath of the shooting. Former President Trump was thrown to the ground behind reinforced fences, these fences, painted with slogans, are made of galvanized steel.
As his Secret Service team began to lead him to his vehicle, they shielded him with their bodies. But a news video apparently sent the message “shooter is down” and at that point Trump was able to turn to the crowd, punch the air and shout his defiance.
It’s completely natural that Trump wanted to show his supporters that he was bloody but alive, but that doesn’t mean it was safe for him to do so.
At the time, the Secret Service had no way of knowing whether the gunman was acting alone. It’s possible there were other shooters present.
The audio also appears to capture Trump asking for his shoes as he is led to his car, and his bodyguards complying with this request.
That goes against all protocol. The protection squad has one job: to protect their man. They are his human shield. If necessary, they can tie him up and carry him away, but they must never risk their lives looking for his shoes.
The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will be under unprecedented levels of security tomorrow. But until we understand what went wrong in Butler, it will be impossible to say with certainty that we won’t see another act of lethal violence before the election is over.
Frank Figliuzzi is a former FBI Deputy Director of Counterintelligence and author of Long Haul: Hunting The Highway Serial Killers.
