A tale of crushing security lapses and missed chances to stop the man who shot Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — The acting director of the Secret Service was incensed at what had happened that July evening. “What I saw made me ashamed,” Ronald Rowe Jr. said. “I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.”

The unguarded roof, easily within shooting distance of the rally stage, is just one of the myriad questions behind the worst Secret Service security failure in decades. The more that investigators unpack from that day, the more missed opportunities that could have prevented the attack are revealed.

As the United States grapples with a second attempt on Donald Trump’s life, in Florida, there remains a reckoning to be done from the Pennsylvania shooting on July 13 that killed one man and wounded three — the ex-president among them.

The Secret Service is a well-funded, historically elite force with a mission to keep presidents and other higher-ups safe — whether they're out for a bicycle ride, attending a world summit, visiting a war zone or campaigning.

But at the farm show grounds, a young nursing home aide with a rifle he borrowed from his dad outmaneuvered authorities for more than 90 minutes before firing the shots that came millimeters from killing Trump.

There are plenty of unanswered questions. Including a key one: What possessed 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks to try to kill the former president?

This anatomy of an attempted assassination is based on an AP review of dozens of documents, text messages and video, plus interviews on the record and from law enforcement officials who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss investigations that are still getting going.

Rowe’s voice grew louder at the July 30 Senate hearing as he squared off with lawmakers who wanted him to fire somebody — anybody — who had been on the ground that day. It wasn’t enough for them that the agency's chief, Kim Cheatle, had resigned a week earlier. But Rowe dug in.

“I will not rush to judgment," he said, snapping at a senator. “People will be held accountable, and I will do so with integrity.”

Last week, the Secret Service released a five-page document summarizing conclusions in a report not yet completed. Among the findings: The Secret Service did not give clear guidance to local law enforcement partners at the rally. It did not correct line-of-sight problems that left Trump open to sniper fire. And some of the agents on duty that day were complacent.

A bipartisan report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee made public Wednesday was more blunt if not scathing. It found “USSS failures in planning, communications, security, and allocation of resources for the July 13, 2024, Butler rally were foreseeable, preventable, and directly related to the events resulting in the assassination attempt that day.”

Butler County, on the western edge of a presidential swing state, is a Trump stronghold. It was designed to be a typical Trump rally — outdoors at the Butler Farm Show grounds with big red barns, wide-open fields and bleacher seating.

Three days after the rally was announced, Crooks registered to attend. He also searched online for “how far away was Oswald from Kennedy?”

Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, while he was riding in an open convertible. Oswald concealed himself on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. The Warren Commission determined he was 265.3 feet from Kennedy when he fired the fatal shot.

Crooks would fire from about double that distance. But guns have evolved since then, and the AR-style weapon Crooks borrowed from his father shoots faster and more easily than anything Oswald had on him.

There were roughly 155 law enforcement officers at the rally that day. That included a Secret Service counter-sniper team, a Butler County SWAT team and uniformed officers. Hundreds of Trump supporters gathered to hear him speak.

The FBI says that after Crooks turned up at the site on that sunny Saturday afternoon, he flew a drone for about 11 minutes up and around the area and was getting the view directly on the controller he used. The Secret Service did not deploy its drone-detection system until later in the afternoon.

The first reported sighting of Crooks was at 4:26 p.m., more than 1½ hours before Trump would begin speaking.

At 5:38 p.m., a Beaver County sniper, stationed inside the building where Crooks would later shoot from the roof, sent photos of Crooks to the local team’s group chat. Secret Service sniper teams were posted on the roof closest to where Trump was to speak, but officials say the teams were never notified.

Bystanders eventually saw Crooks again. They took mobile phone video of him pulling himself up to the top of the roof and slithering into position. They called the cops. By 6:08 p.m., law enforcement had eyes on Crooks again.

Three minutes later, a local officer was hoisted up the squat roof by another officer, who saw Crooks with the rifle, laying down and pointing the weapon toward him. “He’s armed,” the officer radioed to his squad. “He’s got a long gun.”

That message did not get to the Secret Service. The shots were fired 30 seconds later.

Days after the shooting, Trump spent more than 10 minutes of his speech to the Republican National Convention giving vivid detail of what happened to him on the “warm, beautiful day in the early evening in Butler Township in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

The crowd was rapt. Some in it would later don ear bandages like his in a show of support. Even some of Trump's fiercest critics conceded his turn on the stage in Butler had been masterful — raising his fist as blood trickled down his face, mouthing “fight” as he was hustled away.

Trump told his convention “the assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life.”

Those who tuned in at the start of his speech saw a man trying, for once, to reach a wider audience than his MAGA millions. “The discord and division in our society must be healed,” Trump said. “We must heal it quickly.”

That didn't last long. Most of the rest of his speech returned to standard operating procedure — the bombast, the falsehoods, the depictions of a United States rotting under Democrats.

The temperature has not cooled since. After the second attempt at his Florida golf course, Trump and his allies now are trying to lay blame directly on Democratic rhetoric for making him a literal target.

In that case, officials said, the suspect did not get off any shots, never had Trump in his line of sight and fled from the scene after a Secret Service agent spotted and fired at him. He was later captured.

FILE - The Butler Farm Show, site of a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, viewed July 15, 2024 in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Law enforcement officers gather at the campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - A view inside a tent at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump shows a video monitor after Trump was the target of an assassination attempt Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - People react during a campaign rally with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is escorted into a vehicle at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is covered by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Members of the crowd react as U.S. Secret Service agents surround Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE -Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures as he is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents as he is helped off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - Police snipers return fire after shots were fired while Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump was speaking at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - U.S. Secret Service agents respond as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded on stage by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - U.S. Secret Service agents converge to cover Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump reacts following an assassination attempt at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Supporters cheer as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - A motorcade with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - A crowd waits for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump to speak at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILERepublican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign event in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

A tale of crushing security lapses and missed chances to stop the man who shot Trump

A tale of crushing security lapses and missed chances to stop the man who shot Trump

Tropical Storm Helene was rapidly strengthening in the Caribbean Sea and expected to become a hurricane Wednesday while moving north along Mexico's coast toward the U.S., prompting residents to evacuate, schools to close and officials to declare emergencies in Florida and Georgia.

The storm is forecast to be “near hurricane strength” when it passes near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, and to “intensify and grow in size” as it moves north across the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rainfall was forecast for the southeastern U.S. starting Wednesday, with a “life-threatening storm surge” along the entire west coast of Florida, according to the center.

Forecasters warned of the possibility of tornadoes Wednesday night over parts of the western Florida peninsula and southern Alabama, and said the tornado risk would increase Thursday, expanding across Florida and into parts of Georgia and South Carolina.

Helene is expected to become a major hurricane — a Category 3 or higher — on Thursday, the day it's set to reach Florida's Gulf Coast, according to the hurricane center. The center has issued hurricane warnings for part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Florida's northwestern coastline, where large storm surges of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) were expected.

In Mexico Beach, along the Gulf Coast in Florida’s Panhandle, Hal Summers said he’s taking no chances, and is heading inland to stay with a friend.

The restaurant worker said he barely survived Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 hurricane, that struck Mexico Beach in 2018. That storm rapidly intensified and caught residents off guard before plowing a destructive path across the western Florida Panhandle. He recalled wading through rising water with his cat in his arms to get to safety. His home was destroyed.

“That was such a traumatic experience that that is not the place I needed to be for myself,” Summers said.

Mexico is still reeling from former Hurricane John battering its other coast. John hit the country's southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing two people, blowing tin roofs off houses, triggering mudslides and toppling scores of trees, officials said Tuesday.

John grew into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours Monday and made landfall about 80 miles (128 kilometers) east of the resort of Acapulco, near the town of Punta Maldonado, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph) before weakening to a tropical storm after moving inland.

Helene, which formed Tuesday in the Caribbean, is expected to move over deep, warm waters, fueling its intensification. People in regions under hurricane warnings and watches should be prepared to lose power and should have enough food and water for at least three days, forecasters warned.

On Wednesday morning, Helene was located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west-southwest of the western tip of Cuba as it moved northwest at 9 mph (15 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph).

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the upper Florida Keys, the southern Florida Peninsula, the northeast coast of Florida and were extended northward on Wednesday morning to Altamaha Sound, Georgia. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the South Carolina coast north of the Savannah River to the South Santee River.

Hurricane watches — which are a step down from warnings — were also in effect for parts of western Cuba and Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, the hurricane center said.

“It’s going to be a very large system with impacts across all of Florida,” said Larry Kelly, a specialist at the hurricane center.

Several counties on Florida's west and northwestern coasts have issued evacuation orders. Multiple school districts, including in the areas around Tampa and the state capital Tallahassee, plan to close schools or reduce hours starting Wednesday.

Some residents started filling sandbags ahead of anticipated flooding and began leaving areas on the coast.

President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Florida and deployed Federal Emergency Management Agency teams to Florida and Alabama to support local first responders. Federal authorities were positioning generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams, the White House said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also issued an emergency for most of the state's counties, while Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared an emergency in his state as well.

The storm is anticipated to be unusually large and fast-moving, meaning storm surges, wind and rain will likely extend far from the storm’s center, the hurricane center said. States as far inland as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana could see rainfall.

Heavy rains and big waves lashed the Cayman Islands on Tuesday. Officials there closed schools, airports and government offices as strong winds knocked out power in some areas of Grand Cayman, while heavy rain and waves as high as 10 feet (3 meters) unleashed flooding. Authorities urged people to stay indoors as the storm moved away later Tuesday and said crews would fan out to assess damage.

Many in Cuba also worried about the storm, whose tentacles are expected to reach the capital of Havana, which is struggling with a severe water shortage, piles of uncollected garbage and chronic power outages.

Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. Since 2000, eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University hurricane researcher.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures. It forecast 17 to 25 named storms before the season ends Nov. 30, with four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

Associated Press journalists Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Andrea Rodríguez in Havana; Marcia Dunn in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Mark Stevenson and María Verza in Mexico City; and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.

Will Marx cleans up remodeling debris in advance of Tropical Storm Helene, expected to become a hurricane before landfall, in Panacea, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Will Marx cleans up remodeling debris in advance of Tropical Storm Helene, expected to become a hurricane before landfall, in Panacea, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Denis Keeran, of Maitland, fills sandbags at the Orange County distribution site at Barnett Park in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, ahead of the forecast for the possibility of heavy rains in Central Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Residents fill sandbags at the Orange County distribution site at Barnett Park in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, ahead of the forecast for the possibility of heavy rains in Central Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Residents Dennis Lusby, left, and John Guerra fill sandbags at the Orange County distribution site at Barnett Park in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, ahead of the forecast for the possibility of heavy rains in Central Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

A person wearing plastic walks in the street after the passing of Hurricane John in Marquelia, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)

A person walks in the rain after the passing of Hurricane John in Marquelia, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)

Karl Bohlmann, left, and Tangi Bohlmann, of Tarpon Springs, collect sandbags at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as the Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Sandbags are filled at a public site while residents prepare their homes for potential flooding, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene approaches. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Justin Fogle, of College Parks, fills a sandbag at the Orange County distribution site at Barnett Park in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, ahead of the forecast for the possibility of heavy rains in Central Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 6:10pm ET shows Tropical Storm Helene off the Gulf Coast of Florida near Mexico and Cuba on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (NOAA via AP)