By Michael Biesecker and Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press
The U.S. Secret Service is investigating how a gunman armed with an AR-style rifle was able to get close enough to shoot and wound former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, a monumental failure of one of the agency’s core duties.
The gunman, who was killed by Secret Service members, fired several shots at the scene from an “elevated position outside the rally site,” the agency said.
An Associated Press analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos taken at Trump’s rally, as well as satellite imagery of the venue, shows that the shooter managed to get surprisingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking. A video posted on social media and geotagged by the AP shows the body of a man dressed in gray camouflage lying motionless on the roof of a manufacturing plant just north of the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump’s rally was held.
The rooftop was less than 150 yards from where Trump was speaking, a distance at which a good sniper could reasonably hit a man-sized target. For reference, 150 yards is the distance at which U.S. Army recruits must hit a man-sized silhouette to qualify with the M16 assault rifle in basic training. The AR-15, like the shooter at Trump’s rally, is the semi-automatic civilian version of the military’s M16.
The FBI identified the shooter early Sunday as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
The Secret Service was not present at the late-night news conference where FBI and Pennsylvania State Police officials briefed reporters on the investigation into the shooting. FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said it was “surprising” that the shooter was able to fire at the scene before being killed.
Members of the Secret Service’s counter-sniper and counter-attack team were present at the rally, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the investigation.
The heavily armed Counter-Strike Team, codenamed “Hawkeye” in the Secret Service, is tasked with eliminating threats so that other agents can protect and take away the person they are protecting. The Counter-Sniper Team, codenamed “Hercules,” uses long-range binoculars and is equipped with sniper rifles to deal with long-range threats.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said his department and the Secret Service were working with law enforcement to investigate the shooting. Ensuring the security of presidential candidates and their campaign events is one of the department’s “most vital priorities,” he said.
“We condemn this violence in the strongest terms and commend the Secret Service for its swift response today,” Mayorkas said. “We are in contact with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every step possible to ensure their safety.”
Calls for an investigation have been made from all sides.
James Comer, a Kentucky Republican who is chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said he has contacted the House Oversight Committee for a briefing and has invited Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear at a hearing. Comer said his committee will send a formal invitation soon.
“Political violence in any form is un-American and unacceptable. Americans have many questions and demand answers,” Comer said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, called for an investigation into “security failures” at the rally.
“The federal government must constantly learn from security failures to avoid repeating them, especially when those failures have implications for the nation,” Torres said.
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said on X that he and his team were in contact with security planning coordinators ahead of the Republican National Convention, which is set to begin Monday in Milwaukee. “We cannot be a country that accepts political violence in any form — that’s not who we are as Americans,” Evers said.
The FBI said it would lead the investigation into the shooting, working with the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department “will bring all available resources to bear on this investigation.”
“My thoughts are with the former president, the injured, and the family of the bystander killed in this horrific attack,” Garland said in a statement. “We will not tolerate violence of any kind, and such violence is an attack on our democracy.”
Associated Press journalists Colleen Long and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.
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