Secret Service blames local police after Trump assassination attempt

UPDATE: The Secret Service denied that they had put the blame for security failures on local law enforcement. In a statement, a spokeman said, "Any news suggesting the Secret Service is blaming local law enforcement for Saturday's incident is simply not true."

After the assassination attempt on Donald Trump over the weekend, the US Secret Service (USSS) placed blame on local law enforcement for failing to secure the rooftop where gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate the presumptive GOP candidate.

According to the New York Times, USSS spokesman Anthony Gugliemi told the outlet that the building, since it was outside the perimeter of the event, was supposed to be covered by local police, not the federal agency, during the rally. There had been four counter sniper teams covering the rally on Saturday, two of them were from USSS and two were from local police officials. Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police told reporters, however, that "Secret Service always has the lead on securing something like this."



Gugliemi told the Times that the agency believes the police had been notified of the suspicious activity of Crooks climbing up on the rooftop. Bystanders were seen on video attempting to alert authorities in the moments leading up to the assassination attempt. neighbors in the area around the rally by the Butler Farm Show Grounds told the New York Post that they did not have any visits from police leading up to the rally.

Resident Valerie Fennell, whose home is just beyond some trees on the fairgrounds, told the outlet, “Nobody contacted me. Nobody. Nobody called me, nobody stopped here."

“I kinda was thinking that as close as my house is, that I honestly thought this might be part of a command station at some point,” Fennell added. However, it was not just Fennell who had not had contact with the police beforehand. “I was talking to my neighbors yesterday, and none of them had gotten a call. Or anything,” Fennell said, and her sister, Debra, agreed with the statement.

Attendees reported seeing Crooks acting suspiciously near the metal detectors by the entrance to the rally. Local law enforcement was notified of his activity and were told to be on the lookout for him. He was reportedly seen with a rifle and seen jumping from "roof to roof" before he took his position. At about 6:10 pm, a police officer climbed up on the rooftop to confront Crooks, yet retreated when the gunman aimed the rifle at him.

Within the next few moments, Crooks fired at Trump, striking him in the ear as well as killing 50-year-old rally attendee Corey Comperatore as he shielded his family. Two others in the crowd were also critically injured in the chaos. USSS was then able to neutralize Crooks.