An apparent assassination attempt has many questioning how a shooting that wounded former U.S. president Donald Trump was even possible.
At a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, a gunman on a nearby roof fired multiple shots at the stage where Trump was standing. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee said he was nicked in the right ear.
Ken Gray, a former agent with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a senior lecturer at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, shared his thoughts with Â鶹´«Ã½ Channel on Saturday’s shooting, weighing on the agents’ performance and what this might mean for future rallies.
From Gray’s perspective, the service performed a “good†and “competent†job by throwing their bodies on Trump to protect him from any more shots fired, he said
“Nonetheless, the counter sniper team may have had eyes on this shooter and did not react to that. So that’s something that will have to be looked at as this investigation goes on,†Gray said.
The agents continued to swarm Trump on the ground near the podium until it was confirmed the suspected shooter – identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks – was killed.
Witness and law enforcement accounts suggest Crooks was killed seconds after the shooting, and Gray speculated on what was being done during that time, based on his experience.
“When they are looking at this person that is crawling across the top of the building, they have to first identify him and identify him as a threat, and not potentially other law enforcement,†Gray said. “But once they have identified him, they may have been trying to direct ground agents or ground officers to the area instead of shooting him straight out.â€
Gray posited the service could have acted faster, possibly taking Crooks down before any shots were fired, but he said that is only something an investigation can determine.
With the Republican National Convention still proceeding as planned in Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday, Gray says there will likely be an increased security presence.
As for remaining campaign rallies until the Nov. 5 election, Gray says it is possible Trump will hold fewer events outdoors.
“Open-air venues are harder to protect because of the possibility of a shooter being outside the protected area,†Gray said.
The former FBI agent added the Secret Service will review Saturday’s rally to determine what went right and how they can correct what went wrong for future events.
While the ongoing investigation has yet to determine how exactly the shooter made it to the roof, Gray mentioned a site survey would have been conducted prior to Trump’s rally.
“One would think that in doing the site survey before this event, that would have been identified as a potential problem area and people should have been posted on there, in my opinion,†Gray said. “So it’s a question of manpower, I think. This (was) only 450 feet (137 metres) away, 150 yards. That was a prime location for a shooter to be.â€
This is the same distance U.S. Army recruits must hit to qualify with the M16 assault rifle in basic training, and the gun the shooter had – an AR-15 – is the semi-automatic civilian version. The range prompted speculation that the shooter might have military experience, but no records have been found.
So far, investigators say they have not determined a motive behind the shooting.
With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
Lebanon's Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day
The CEO of the Ottawa Mission is responding to controversial comments made this week by Premier Doug Ford about those living in homeless encampments that received swift blowback from advocates.
Will Ferrell said in an interview with Variety that it was important for him to release his documentary, 'Will and Harper,' before the U.S. election so people could have conversations about trans people.
Canada is contributing $10 million for humanitarian assistance for civilians in Lebanon amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
For decades, Melven Jones couldn’t talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn’t even remember it.
Massive rains from powerful Hurricane Helene left people stranded, without shelter and awaiting rescue Saturday, as the cleanup began from a tempest that killed at least 56 people, caused widespread destruction across the U.S. Southeast and left millions without power.
When a few weeks passed and Nana Prempeh still hadn’t heard from the guy she met on vacation, she turned to her friends for advice.
SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the two stuck astronauts at the International Space Station on Saturday, sending up a downsized crew to bring them home but not until next year.
The Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah was a 'measure of justice' for victims of a four-decade 'reign of terror,' U.S. President Joe Biden said Saturday.
A man has died after being stabbed at a residence in north Scarborough on Saturday evening, police say.
For decades, Melven Jones couldn’t talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn’t even remember it.
Members of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) are sounding the alarm on a rising number of online and phone scams targeting residents.
On Broughdale Ave, barricades kept students to the sidewalks, and on Huron, officers kept directing the young people away from the middle of the road for emergency vehicles.
The Pride crosswalk in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has been hit by vandalism for the second time in less than three months.
Vancouver police officers took a goat into custody Friday night.
Newly emerged film footage of U.S. President John F. Kennedy's motorcade speeding down a Dallas freeway toward a hospital after he was fatally wounded sold at auction Saturday for US$137,500.
Russia's top diplomat warned Saturday against 'trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power,' delivering a UN General Assembly speech packed with condemnations of what Russia sees as Western machinations in Ukraine and elsewhere — including inside the United Nations itself.
For months, New York City Mayor Eric Adams — a former cop — refused to criticize the federal authorities investigating his administration. Not anymore.
Seventeen people, including 15 women, were killed in two mass shootings that took place in close proximity to each other in a rural town in South Africa, police said Saturday.
An explosion at a gas station in Russia’s southern region of Dagestan killed at least 13 people and injured 23 others, officials said Saturday.
A jury has ruled in favor of three women who alleged they were sexually abused while patients at a Virginia children's hospital, awarding them a total of US$300 million in damages.
Canada is contributing $10 million for humanitarian assistance for civilians in Lebanon amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge is set to make history by becoming the first openly lesbian cabinet minister to take parental leave when her wife gives birth in the coming weeks.
Defence Minister Bill Blair says there is a ship in place near Lebanon, as well as 150 deployed additional Canadian Armed Forces members prepared for a military-assisted departure of stranded Canadians, if more violence in the region requires it.
A man from Alberta has been at the Medipal International Hospital in Kampala, Uganda for over two months with a hefty medical bill. He says he can’t leave until it’s been paid for.
More than 550 symptomatic people responded to an online questionnaire about a gastrointestinal illness at a Prince Edward Island shellfish festival last weekend.
A partial masking mandate has returned to Nova Scotia hospitals and provincially run healthcare facilities for visitors and healthcare workers.
Canadian innovators and technical leaders gathered in Ottawa Thursday to demonstrate the latest cutting-edge technology.
SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the two stuck astronauts at the International Space Station on Saturday, sending up a downsized crew to bring them home but not until next year.
Trees haven't grown on the Falkland Islands for thousands of years. But tree trunks and branches preserved in peat suggest the islands were once home to a forest.
Will Ferrell said in an interview with Variety that it was important for him to release his documentary, 'Will and Harper,' before the U.S. election so people could have conversations about trans people.
The Stratford Festival is remembering Dame Maggie Smith's impact on a local stage.
Ari Kinarthy never imagined he'd become the focus of photographers on a red carpet, back when he was a boy fighting to have fun.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Friday it had fined Air Canada US$250,000 for operating flights in 2022 and 2023 in prohibited Iraqi airspace.
WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani, who pushed the company into embracing weight-loss drugs, is leaving the position after a two-and-a-half year stint.
Canada's gross domestic product expanded at a faster-than-expected 0.2 per cent rate in July, driven by growth in retail trade and public sectors, but the economy likely stalled in August, Statistics Canada data showed on Friday.
It's often said there is a thin line between love and hate, but is it OK to sometimes hate your long-term partner? If you ask actress Jamie Lee Curtis, it's practically necessary.
When a few weeks passed and Nana Prempeh still hadn’t heard from the guy she met on vacation, she turned to her friends for advice.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
On an eventful Saturday at the Presidents Cup, the U.S. took an 11-7 lead over an International team that saw big performances from the world's No. 1 ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler.
The Toronto Raptors have confirmed that Vince Carter's No. 15 will be the first number to be retired by the NBA franchise.
The Internationals stormed back with a 5-0 second-round shutout to tie the United States 5-5 in the overall score at the elite biennial men's golf tournament.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
A U.S. driver somehow squeezed her vehicle through a parkade hallway at a Metro Vancouver casino Thursday, before getting stuck at an elevator bank.
More than 12,000 vehicles in Canada are included in two separate recalls by Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.
Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.
A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.
An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.
An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.
For decades, Melven Jones couldn’t talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn’t even remember it.
A Vancouver man has paid $337,500 to the B.C. Securities Commission as part of an insider trading settlement, the financial regulator announced Friday.
Almost 200 pages of research on the B.C. Conservative Party, which sources within BC United confirm were compiled by their party before it dropped out of the British Columbia election campaign to support its former rival, have come back to haunt the new alliance.
A man has died after being stabbed at a residence in north Scarborough on Saturday evening, police say.
Thousands of dead birds, from kingfishers to blue jays, encircle a wild turkey to illustrate in one snapshot a mere fragment of how many die from colliding into glass windows – a death that can be easily prevented, the Torontonian photographer says.
A man has been taken to the hospital after walking into a restaurant in Toronto’s west end late Saturday afternoon with stab wounds.
Alberta's premier spoke to calls for an outside, independent investigation into the death of Jon Wells during an incident involving Calgary police last week.
A Calgary city councillor's plea to have permanent residents be given the right to vote in municipal elections, an idea long dismissed by Premier Danielle Smith as unconstitutional, has been defeated.
Safaa went to Lebanon looking to meet with a specialist for her Crohn's disease. Now, she and her four children are caught in the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.
The victim has been identified as Chanel Charette, 33.
The CEO of the Ottawa Mission is responding to controversial comments made this week by Premier Doug Ford about those living in homeless encampments that received swift blowback from advocates.
The federal holiday on Sept. 30 will bring some schedule changes in Ottawa as Canada marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
World Wrestling Entertainment Hall-of-Famer Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon is the inspiration for a local wrestling production company that will bear his name host events on Montreal's West Island to raise money and create memories for sick children.
A commemorative rally marking the fourth anniversary of Joyce Echaquan’s death will take place in Ville-Marie on Saturday afternoon.
Members of Montreal’s Maghrebi community are gathering in a city park this afternoon to sound the alarm about what they call the “scourge†of street gangs recruiting youth to carry out criminal acts.
A person is in hospital after a hit-and-run crash involving a stolen motorcycle in Grande Prairie early Saturday morning.
Alberta’s government is getting pushback from some municipal leaders and support from others over its plan to build the sheriffs into a second provincial police service.
A northern Alberta woman is hoping her family's history can help reunite Indigenous families with loved ones who died at the Charles Camsell Indian hospital in Edmonton.
Communities that suffered total losses in Hammonds Plains, N.S., and Upper Tantallon, N.S., in the 2023 wildfire received a donation of trees from Northern Pulp on Saturday.
Education and infrastructure were the focus of promises made on the tenth day of New Brunswick’s provincial election campaign.
RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment say they have charged a man with multiple offences, including assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, following a disturbance in Beaver Bank, N.S.
As the temperatures begin to drop and the leaves change colour, the time for fall suppers has returned in Manitoba.
Hundreds gathered in Winnipeg’s Memorial Park Saturday afternoon in a solemn ceremony honouring the lives of fallen firefighters.
A beloved annual celebration of arts and culture returns to city streets Saturday night.
The Town of Lumsden held their ninth annual Scarecrow festival Saturday.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders moved into second place in the CFL's West Division with a 29-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday.
Minister of Health Everett Hindley wrote to healthcare provider unions on Friday inviting them to join a nursing task force, something the government previously said no to.
It’s homecoming weekend for many students and alumni and preparations are underway to ensure it’s a safe celebratory weekend.
People in Guelph may notice a new addition at the entrance to Franchetto Park in Guelph.
The Kitchener Rangers returned to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Friday to the roar of thousands of eager fans.
Saskatchewan RCMP says the man who sustained injuries from a serious assault earlier this month has died in hospital.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders moved into second place in the CFL's West Division with a 29-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday.
Minister of Health Everett Hindley wrote to healthcare provider unions on Friday inviting them to join a nursing task force, something the government previously said no to.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
It's often said there is a thin line between love and hate, but is it OK to sometimes hate your long-term partner? If you ask actress Jamie Lee Curtis, it's practically necessary.
The CEO of the Ottawa Mission is responding to controversial comments made this week by Premier Doug Ford about those living in homeless encampments that received swift blowback from advocates.
On Broughdale Ave, barricades kept students to the sidewalks, and on Huron, officers kept directing the young people away from the middle of the road for emergency vehicles.
For 28 years, motorcycle riders have gathered at Hully Gully in London, Ont. to raise money for the Children’s Health Foundation (CHF) and enjoy a fall ride.
The town of Aylmer might be getting a little bit larger - it's considering expanding boundaries to include more land, and they’re holding a meeting on Thursday
Huntsville OPP is investigating a two-vehicle collision Friday afternoon that resulted in the death of a motorcycle driver.
Midland Fire Service, Southern Georgian Bay OPP and County of Simcoe paramedics responded to an early Saturday morning fire at a residence in Midland, which sent one person to hospital.
Two drivers were charged after a vehicle struck a house in northern Barrie Friday evening.
Windsor Fire Service is on the scene of a house fire in South Windsor this morning. A single-family dwelling was reported to have been the location of an early morning fire.
A collision on Friday evening has resulted in charges for a 32-year-old Lakeshore Resident.
Students looking for work while they study had an opportunity to scope out the local employment scene on Wednesday when St. Clair College held its second annual part time job fair.
For decades, Melven Jones couldn’t talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn’t even remember it.
Almost 200 pages of research on the B.C. Conservative Party, which sources within BC United confirm were compiled by their party before it dropped out of the British Columbia election campaign to support its former rival, have come back to haunt the new alliance.
A strike by grain terminal workers at the Port of Metro Vancouver has ended, their employer announced Friday night.
Fire crews in Vernon, B.C., responded to a large house fire early Saturday morning.
A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.
The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.
A 10-year-old boy from Lethbridge is being praised as a hero after a routine summer outing at the pool nearly turned tragic for his friend.
A man and woman have been charged after a Lethbridge ice creamery was broken into earlier this week. Staff arrived at Cookie Crimes, in the 300 block of Sixth Street South, just before 5:30 a.m. on Monday to discover the front window broken.
Sault residents may notice some commotion on the Algoma University campus over the next two weeks as a team conducts an archaeological search.
The Pride crosswalk in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has been hit by vandalism for the second time in less than three months.
Despite a lead at mid-game in front of a near-capacity home crowd, the Sudbury Wolves dropped their first game of their OHL regular season to Barrie, 3-1.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
Newfoundland and Labrador sponsored a minor football team in England, now they’re about to play one of the biggest clubs in European soccer.
Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹´«Ã½. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
