A few reports show that security staff were alarmed that an armed man was heading for former US president Donald Trump at a political meeting in Pennsylvania.
The officer from the local police department identified Thomas Crooks, who is believed to be the potential assassin, perched on top of a factory building about 120 meters away from where Trump was giving his speech.
Speaking under condition of anonymity, one officer said he climbed up after members of the audience alerted him to Crooks’ presence. On confronting him, the law enforcer found himself looking into the barrel of an AR-style rifle.
These accounts have been verified by eyewitnesses and video evidence which recorded gunshots at least one minute before it happened. CBS news analysis suggested individuals called law enforcement about an armed suspect on top of a roof not less than two minutes prior to the initial shot. The video also captured moments preceding when gunshots are heard as well as when some policemen are seen patrolling around the complex in circles before this incidence occurred.
As per reports, it fell within local police’s jurisdiction to secure the location where they eventually discovered and apprehended the shooter since they are responsible for protecting former presidents including Trump. In other words, they did not themselves search through that facility; instead they tasked local officers with doing so according to Secret Service spokesperson speaking on CNN.
In many instances leading up to it, some attendees noted strange behavior by the person near security checkpoints during their arrival at this scene. According NBC News sources on Monday night local cops chased Crooks on foot and called Secret Service over a suspicious individual close to a campaign stop.
The above mentioned files have raised questions for instance whether such events had adequate security measures put in place? The inability of this cop notwithstanding his knowledge of an armed assailant named Crooks has been investigated for failing to eliminate an obvious threat. Furthermore relying upon autonomous local security agencies without direct supervision from federal agents like secret service has attracted most criticism.
