Former US President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A report suggests the gunman fired from an area outside the rally perimeter which was not secured by the US Secret Service.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is covered by US Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. (AP Photo)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jul 15, 2024 13:30 IST
The US Secret Service, under fire over security lapses during Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally, has said the gunman who tried to assassinate the former President was perched atop a building which was outside the perimeter of the event.
Donald Trump, who is leading the Republican presidential race, was addressing his followers at a rally in Pennsylvania's Butler on July 13 (local time) when gunfire rang out. Blood was seen on Trump's face as he said a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.
The Secret Service officers later killed the 20-year-old gunman who fired shots at the former President.
According to a report in the New York Times, the Secret Service said Crooks fired multiple shots at the stage from an "elevated position outside of the rally venue" and hence was secured by local law enforcement.
Apparently, the roof from where Crooks fired was fewer than 150 meters from where Trump was speaking, a distance from which a decent marksman could reasonably hit a human-sized target.
President Joe Biden has directed an independent review of the security at the rally. He said he also directed the US Secret Service to review all security measures for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee.
According to Pennsylvania's voter records, Thomas Crooks was a registered Republican. The motive behind his action has not been established yet.
Authorities were investigating as to how a shooter was able to get on top of a roof so close to where Donald Trump was speaking and open fire.
Published By:
Vani Mehrotra
Published On:
Jul 15, 2024
English (US) ·