A former Secret Service agent says snipers at the Pennsylvania rally where a would-be assassin wounded former President Donald Trump should have had “360-degree coverage” of the event and surrounding buildings.
“I don’t know how much they have, but they’re usually always looking for 360-degree coverage,” former Secret Service agent Anthony Cangelosi told Business Insider. “So that’s one thing that’s going to be taken into consideration.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the shooter as a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Cangelosi, who is now an adjunct professor at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York, said the main question law enforcement might ask is how the suspect got to the top of a nearby building undetected.
Butler Township Sheriff Michael Slupe told The Washington Post that a local police officer encountered the suspect before the shooting but fell to the ground because he did not have his weapon.
For major events where the president or former president is speaking, the Secret Service on the scene will typically work with law enforcement to draft a “site plan” with a sample of the venue and all surrounding buildings, Cangelosi said.
This plan will be critical for investigators in determining what failures may have occurred during the demonstration, Cangelosi said.
“All posts — meaning personnel, Secret Service or uniformed police officers, where they are stationed, what their duties are to secure the post, what consideration is given to the outer perimeter, in this case, other buildings,” will be included in the site plan, Cangelosi said.
Cangelosi said the Secret Service sometimes uses “anti-sniper response units,” which are stationed on the ground and can quickly move into position if they become aware of a threat.
“But time can also be of the essence, right?” Cangelosi said. “You may not have the ability to send an anti-sniper response team to the location.”
Snipers often have to make quick decisions when they see a potential threat such as an open window or someone sitting on a roof, Cangelosi said.
“What if you knew, ‘Oh, I just killed a kid, a 20-year-old kid who loves protected things, and he couldn’t get into the place, and he just wanted to get on that roof,'” Cangelosi added. “Nobody wants to be in that position.”
Cangelosi said he hopes the Secret Service will beef up security at future events. Trump has confirmed he plans to speak at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin next week.
“The Secret Service is very conscious of the fact that they have to be perfect all the time,” Cangelosi said. “And the moment you’re not perfect, it’s going to bring more scrutiny.”
