Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s recent resignation comes after she stated during a congressional hearing that the service was “still looking into” who was responsible for providing overwatch for the building used by the Trump shooter. According to Cheatle, there was a plan in place to provide overwatch but investigations are ongoing to determine responsibilities and those tasked with overwatch.
Cheatle also revealed that overwatch had been provided for the roof of the building during the congressional hearing, though she would not provide any names or specific details about those responsible for the operation. This lack of information frustrated both Republican and Democrat lawmakers who then called for her resignation, a request she initially refused to consider but eventually complied with the following morning.
The Secret Service is typically responsible for planning overall security measures but may delegate specific areas to local law enforcement during campaign events or other remote occurrences. In this instance, it has been confirmed that the building used by the alleged shooter was placed outside of the Secret Service’s perimeter.
Despite some reports suggesting that Butler County Emergency Services Unit (ESU) may have been responsible for securing the building and its roof, preliminary findings reveal inconsistencies in their security measures on the day of the event. Sen. Josh Hawley revealed that whistleblowers informed him that law enforcement personnel were stationed on the roof but abandoned it due to heat. The same informants stated that local law enforcement was supposed to patrol the building, opting instead to stay inside.
According to preliminary findings released by Sen. Ron Johnson, a Butler County ESU sniper had spotted Thomas Matthew Crooks, the alleged shooter, inside the building at 5:10 p.m., taking pictures of him at 5:14 p.m. At 5:32 p.m., the sniper once again saw Crooks and reported him to a group text of other law enforcement snipers on site, receiving instructions to report the suspect to command. The gunman opened fire approximately 13 minutes later.
Investigations are still ongoing to determine who was responsible for overwatch of the building used by the shooter.