Secret Service comes under intense scrutiny for 'major failure' following shooting at Trump rally

• Donald Trump said he was shot in the ear, and a bystander was killed during a rally in Pennsylvania.
• An eyewitness described to the BBC seeing a man with a rifle crawling on a nearby rooftop.
• The US Secret Service quickly came under scrutiny for failing to prevent the incident.

The US Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny following a fatal shooting that left former President Donald Trump wounded at his rally Saturday night.

The shooting, which killed one rally attendee and left two others critically injured, is being investigated as an assassination attempt.

The shooter was killed, the Secret Service said.

As news of the shooting was still breaking, notable figures were quick to question the Secret Service and its leadership following the shooting.

While the investigation remains in its early stages, law enforcement experts told Business Insider the historic shooting will certainly prompt a major review of Secret Service procedure.

Matt Shoemaker, a former intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency, went as far as calling the shooting a "major failure" of the Secret Service.

"I've been to these sorts of events before, and there are layers upon layers of security," Shoemaker said. "So for the alleged shooter to be on a rooftop, with a clear shot to the podium — it is mind-boggling to say that this was overlooked."

Trump said in a post on Truth Social several hours after the 6:15 p.m. shooting that a bullet hit the upper part of his right ear. In videos of the shooting, the former president could be seen clutching his hand to his bloodied face and later raising his fist triumphantly while being escorted off the stage by the Secret Service.

A Secret Service spokesperson directed Business Insider to public statements posted by the federal agency on social media and declined to answer specific questions about the incident.

US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi, in a post on X, wrote that the suspected shooter "fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside" the venue of former President Trump's rally.

"US Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures, and the former president is safe and being evaluated," Guglielmi's statement continued, noting that the FBI had been notified about the shooting.

In a separate statement, the FBI indicated it would be taking the lead on the investigation. Representatives for the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

In a press briefing shortly after midnight, FBI special agent Kevin Rojek noted "it is surprising" that the shooter managed to fire several rounds before being neutralized by the Secret Service.

Representatives for the Secret Service were not present at the press conference to respond to questions about the incident.

Shoemaker told BI it appeared that the presence of the shooter "slipped through the cracks," despite firsthand reports of a witness who told the BBC that he saw and attempted to alert authorities to the presence of a man with a rifle on a roof nearby the rally.

"Maybe they didn't pay too much attention to it. Maybe they did take it seriously, but there just wasn't enough time before the shots rang out," Shoemaker said. "But the fact that the shot even happened — that the only thing right now that is saving the Secret Service is the fact that President Trump was not killed, which means that they were relying on pure luck that the individual that they're charged with protecting did not die — if they're relying on luck, it means that there is a problem and it means that there's a failure somewhere."

Shoemaker wasn't alone in his assessment that the shooting would prompt a major examination of the Secret Service's policies and procedures.

Ken Gray, a retired FBI agent and lecturer in the criminal justice department of the University of New Haven, told Business Insider that, given the fact that the shooter was outside the cleared rally event, he expects future events will need to "expand the perimeter of the secured zone or move indoors." 

However, Gray noted it is "too early to make an assessment" about whether the incident should be considered a complete security failure, especially given the flood of unconfirmed information circulating about the shooting online.

Among the highest-profile critics was Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who, for the first time, publicly endorsed Trump and criticized the Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle. Cheatle previously served as the head of security for the soft drink company Pepsi before leading the Secret Service.

"So before being put in charge of protecting the PRESIDENT, she was guarding bags of Cheetos …" Musk wrote in a post on X that included a screenshot of her biography and work history.

Trump's campaign, as well as the Republican National Committee, have indicated the party's planned convention in Milwaukee this week will proceed following the rally shooting. It is unclear what if any, modifications will be made to the security procedures at the event.

An investigation and more visible security measures

Shoemaker said he expects to see bulletproof glass surrounding the former president in future public appearances, as well as a more pronounced use of drones for aerial surveillance at his events.

"I would expect this to at least initial reports of basic findings to be released within the next 48 to 72 hours," Shoemaker said. "If they take longer than that, it's going to raise a lot of questions, just in terms of what the problem is — is the problem that they don't have enough expertise looking at this?"

GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed in a post on X that the House would investigate the "tragic events" that occurred at the rally.

"The American people deserve to know the truth," Johnson wrote. "We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP."

The FBI will lead an official investigation into the incident, according to a statement released Saturday evening. The agency indicated it is "close" to identifying a suspect in the shooting, but a formal identification is pending confirmation through a DNA test.