Former Secret Service agent on Trump rally security
President Biden has called for an independent investigation into the security procedures in place for the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania over the weekend.
A gunman on the roof of a nearby building fired multiple shots, killing one rally attendee, critically injuring two others and wounding the former president.
After the shots were fired, Secret Service agents jumped into action, creating a human shield around Mr. Trump.
TOPSHOT - Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with what appears to be blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Photo
Former Secret Service agent Mark Lowery says those agents responded to the shooting exactly how they were trained.
"I was very pleased at the way they worked, communicated with each other," he said.
Lowery spent 24 years in the U.S. Secret Service and worked in the White House detail with President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush.
He says site visits, like Saturday evening's outdoor rally, have complex elements for a security plan, or as he called it, the "advance" for a location.
The advance plan for the rally will play a major role in the FBI's investigation of the entire event.
"I’ll be anxious to see what the investigation determines from their advance. Obviously they should have, and I’m confident they would have, identified that rooftop being a problem," said Lowery.
Lowery doesn't have an answer as to how the shooter was able to get on the rooftop with a rifle undetected, but he says the counter snipers must be certain that there is a threat before they pull the trigger.
"There can be a lot of things going on in these seconds, minutes before this occurred. They may have spotted this guy, and they're trying to get clarification," Lowery explained. "Is it an off-duty policeman? Another law enforcement agency who got on the rooftop that wasn’t supposed to be on that building?"
From his experience, Lowery asks that people wait to make judgment until the FBI's investigation is done.
"A lot of people have an opinion. A lot of people are shocked by this. I’m shocked of the incident. I just would like for people to take a step back and don’t judge the Secret Service and the staff until we have a thorough, competent investigation to determine what happened," Lowery said.
As we get closer to the general election in November, Lowery says this incident is likely to impact security at future campaign events.
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These changes could include more resources from state and local law enforcement.
"At the end of the day, this should not have happened," Lowery said.
The Republican National Convention starts on Monday in Milwaukee.
Lowery was the deputy director for the RNC in 2016 when it was held in Cleveland.
From his experience, he says that he's confident the RNC and the DNC will be safe and secure.