Rooftop where would-be assassin shot Trump ID’d as security vulnerability before rally: report

Two FBI investigators scan the roof of AGR International Inc, the building adjacent to the Butler Fairgrounds, from which alleged shooter Matthew Thomas Crooks fired at former President Donald J. Trump, in the aftermath of the attempted assassination at a campaign rally on July 14, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

The rooftop where a would-be assassin open fire on former President Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania Saturday was reportedly identified as a security vulnerability before the event.

Sources familiar with the U.S. Secret Services’ operations told NBC News that the agency was aware of risks associated with a building that stood adjacent to the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the former President held his rally.

“Someone should have been on the roof or securing the building so no one could get on the roof,” a former senior Secret Service agent familiar with the planning told the outlet.

The shooting, which injured Trump, killed an attendee, and injured others, has raised serious questions about how the suspect – identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks – was able to access the rooftop within range and direct line of sight of where the former president was speaking.