Former counterintelligence coordinator for political events breaks down security details
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- ABC11 Eyewitness News spoke to a law enforcement expert about the Trump rally incident.
Former President Donald Trump says he was shot in the ear after a gunman opened fire towards the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday -- a harrowing incident that left one spectator dead, two others critically injured and sparked chaos at the event.
Roy Taylor has decades of experience in law enforcement, military and coordinating counterintelligence for political events like presidential inauguration.
He says the Secret Service scopes out and creates a security plan in advance for each event. ABC News said the shooter was outside the security perimeter and was on top of a building when he fired the shots.
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He says the Secret Service is prepped to respond. He believes agents responded quickly, covering Trump and getting him to the armored truck safely. Taylor says there are various levels of protection throughout and around the venue.
"We have ways to block radio frequencies, cell phones, so we can cut communications off if there is a coordinated attack. We can knock those out. There are a lot of electronic countermeasures that are available to the FBI in these types of situations, they can knock it down pretty quickly. I'm sure they had air support from local police or state police. They were able to spot that shooter," said Dr. Roy Taylor, Law Enforcement Expert.
Taylor says there is an in-depth investigation with federal agencies such as Secret Service, FBI, ATF will look into who the shooter was, their motive, how long did this individual plan this, cell phone video, and any connections the man might have to other people.
Taylor expects security measures will increase as the presidential campaigning proceeds.
ABC11 also talked with a former secret service agent Sunday morning, who participated in several presidential campaigns a few decades ago.
Dennis Schlindwein said this incident hits close to home.
WATCH | Former SS agent talks Trump rally shooting
He believes the Secret Service did what it could to protect former President Trump after the assassination attempt, covering him till he was in the armored truck.
There are multiple layers of protection in place at these types of events. However, Schlindwein said he is concerned as to how the suspected shooter got the roof of the adjacent building 200 yards away from the podium in the first place.
"I hesitate to second guess the Secret Service because I wasn't there, but the Counterassault team's job is to prepare for any high-level shooters as well as other people in near proximity," he said. "It just seems to me that that was too simple for this person to get to a place he shouldn't have been without being discovered by the Counterassault team."
There are more details to uncover.
Law enforcement experts said security will be heightened around Trump and President Biden, who is returned to the White House Sunday.
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is this week in Wisconsin.
ABC11's Cindy Bae contributed to this report.
