A Secret Service sniper killed Donald Trump’s attacker, but lost precious seconds that could have been fatal. Experts explain why the American protection and security agent did not pull the trigger sooner.
The Secret Service sniper who neutralized the attacker at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania lost crucial moments due to several factors. Among these could be the lack of support for counter-snipers, focusing on nearby trees, and excessive heat, said a former special service agent to Business Insider.
"This counter-sniper made a remarkably fast decision and clearly saved Trump's life. Our people are the best in the world. That's what they do. And just a second after this kid (Thomas Matthew Crooks, ed.) fired, the counter-sniper shot him," said Bill Pickle, a former special agent who protected Vice President Al Gore.
"But some might argue that the sniper and his observer should have been two seconds faster in spotting the shooter. The real question is - if there were more anti-snipers on that building, could it all have been avoided?" he added.
Why wasn't the suspect seen sooner?
The security breach at the scene is inexplicable. And the delayed reaction of the secret services and law enforcement is highlighted by a video broadcasted on social networks and picked up by Washington Post showing that several spectators saw the attacker on the roof and alerted the police at least 86 seconds before the first shot was fired.
Pickle said that one direction investigators will focus on is how the attacker managed to reach the roof of the building without authorities noticing him.
"The other question is why the roof was not secured and whether the agents and law enforcement there checked the identities of the people. How did this kid find a way to get onto the roof and stretch out there? Did he crawl on the roof on elbows and knees and push the gun ahead of him, like in the military?" he said.
But even if the suspect had been spotted earlier, counter-snipers cannot always act immediately when they observe a threat, said Anthony Cangelosi, a former special agent.
"You have to make a decision: 'Do I shoot or not?' What happens if you later find out that you killed a 20-year-old kid who admires the protected person but couldn't get into the location and just wanted to get on that roof? No one wants to be in that situation," Cangelosi said.
Lack of personnel, heat, and trees
At least three factors could have caused the two-second delay between the moment Crooks appeared on the edge of the roof and the moment the CS (counter-sniper) team spotted and eliminated him, the expert emphasized.
Decisions regarding the forces sent to the scene were made at the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, based on available personnel and after several days of on-site research, Pickle said.
"A previous team conducted on-site research, where they analyzed everything and made recommendations for what is needed. But if they don't have resources, the headquarters can say they only send a team there. And it's not uncommon - if you don't have it, you don't have it," he explained.
"It always comes down to resources. And if it's not a resource issue and there is money, then it's still an allocation issue," added the former agent, meaning that someone underestimated the necessary manpower to protect Trump.
No matter how many snipers are present, the Secret Service usually has "360-degree coverage" of an event involving a former president, Cangelosi said.
"Someone decided that the number of counter-snipers was sufficient. And, obviously, in hindsight, they were wrong, because there was a kid who managed to climb up there, on that roof, and pull the trigger at least three times," Pickle said.
Cangelosi is convinced that the shooter knew how to use a gun. "This kid, from 137 meters, made a strong shot. I don't know if he had a scope on his rifle. But even with a scope, it takes someone with training to hit someone's head from 137 meters and actually hit the top of the head. That's not a lucky shot, it's someone who has shot before," he said.
Assassination attempt will be in the secret services' manuals
Once the future assassin opened fire, "everything that happened up there was by the book, as it should have happened," Pickle emphasized.
The CS team fired, counter-attack agents with long guns, dressed in black coveralls and protective helmets, rushed the stage, and security agents in civilian attire extracted Trump from the incident site.
The former agent is convinced that Saturday's incident will be dissected in the years to come and will be forever included in the training program of the Secret Service and other agencies.
Cangelosi stated that such a significant event will cause major changes within the Secret Service. However, it will take time to find out how the shooter managed to evade the agents.
"We all want answers and we want them as soon as possible, but it will take some time. You know how the Secret Service is: they are professionals. They make mistakes, they will fix them," the expert said.
T.D.