Attempted assassination of Trump at Pennsylvania rally

A gunman nearly missed killing former President Donald Trump at a rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday.

People all across the U.S. have questioned securing the perimeter at the rally and how the FBI missed the gunman during the event.

The gunman has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and was shot dead by the Secret Service. The gun was purchased by his father. 

A former Fire Chief, Corey Comperatore, was killed during the rally while protecting his family from the shots. Two other people were also injured.

Explosives were found in Crooks vehicle during the investigation in a nearby parking lot.

Cristina Beloud of CMB Consulting, LLC, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the latest updates on the attempt.

“The Secret Service has complete control over all sorts of events particularly during the campaign. They are the primary investigative and protective agency for the protectee. Their goal is to go in and do what they can with what assets they have in the townships and cities they’re going into,” said Beloud. 

There are three different layers the Secret Service sets up during an event: the inner, middle and outer. 

“We have 360 degree coverage above and below, is what we’re looking at. We do look at the concentric rings of protection, but we have a hand on every level of the perimeter so we’ll coordinate, we’ll set up counterparts with local law enforcement and work from the outside in,” said Beloud. 

The Secret Service’s main priority is what’s happening inside of the perimeter. 

“There’s no doubt there was a failure here on Saturday, but there’s a lot that goes into pulling together an outdoor campaign event in the final months of a campaign. A lot of times, these locations are decided in the air as President’s are flying around from city to city,” said Beloud.