Overview
- On July 13, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from a nearby rooftop at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing President Trump’s right ear, killing attendee Corey Comperatore, and wounding others before a Secret Service counter‑sniper killed the shooter.
- A Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report released in late June found the Secret Service failed to receive 102 radio transmissions about the suspect, did not set up a joint communications room with local police, and missed multiple opportunities to detect or disrupt the attack.
- The OIG also documented a malfunctioning counter‑drone system, undertrained operators, and a failure to mitigate a known line‑of‑sight vulnerability at the rooftop that Crooks used to fire on the stage.
- The Secret Service has accepted the report’s seven recommendations, suspended several agents for short periods, and marked some recommendations closed while others remain open, and wounded rallygoers have filed negligence suits against the federal government.
- The Butler attack sits in a pattern of later alleged domestic plots and reported foreign threats that keep protective posture under review and shape political discussion about accountability and security.