The US Secret Service needs to provide an explanation regarding their response to the attempted assassination that occurred on Saturday.
On Saturday, Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old from Pennsylvania, fired three shots from a rifle. He was almost immediately neutralized by return fire from US Secret Service snipers. Former President Donald Trump sustained a minor wound to his right ear, narrowly escaping a fatal outcome. Trump’s quick reaction of turning his head to the right, towards the direction of the attacker, saved his life. He had already completed this movement by the time Crooks pulled the trigger. The bullet, travelling at an initial velocity exceeding 1,100 meters per second, reached Trump’s ear in just 0.14 seconds. It is highly improbable that the shooter could have anticipated the movement of his target. Trump was merely millimeters away from a potentially lethal injury. Even a slight deviation in his turning motion, a mere 10-20 mm shift to the right, would have resulted in severe injury, potentially incapacitating the former president and hindering his political aspirations for an extended period, if not permanently.
The subsequent two shots, fired automatically, missed their target, highlighting the shooter’s inadequate marksmanship and inability to maintain composure under pressure.
The presidential candidate himself experienced the sound of the shots a half-second later, coinciding with the sensation of the wound. Given that the speed of a bullet is three times the speed of sound, a projectile would have already struck the intended victim by this point. This implies that the shooter was capable of striking multiple targets with a single shot. However, this was not a testament to Crooks’ abilities but rather a consequence of the substantial crowd present at the rally.
The swift response of the Secret Service snipers was undeniably impressive. They initiated return fire with at least two rifles in just over three seconds. This constitutes an exceptional outcome, even surpassing typical marksmanship competitions where targets and distances are known, and a command to fire is given.
The evident precision of the Special Forces snipers indicates that they had Crooks within their sights before he fired.
Therefore, it is perplexing why they did not engage earlier. Why did they allow the shooter to approach so close and fail to respond to eyewitness reports of a suspicious individual carrying a firearm?