As the world asks how a would-be assassin managed to fire shots at Donald Trump during a campaign rally, a former Secret Service agent has exposed what likely went wrong with the security detail at the event.
Trump was shot in the ear as he addressed supporters at a rally in Pennsylvania, his last before the Republican National Convention starts on Monday in Wisconsin.
The shooter has been identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to take out the presumptive Republican nominee from a nearby rooftop, before he was shot and killed by officers at the event.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
Rally-goers have reported alerting police to the shooter, who had scaled a building about 120 metres from Trump’s stage, however the threat wasn’t neutralised until after Crooks opened fire.
Speaking on Channel 7’s Spotlight, Cory Allen said there was clearly a “breakdown” in the security plan devised by the Secret Service and law enforcement officials in Butler, where the rally was held.
With a limited number of agents on hand, the Secret Service relies on “state and local police officers” for assistance at political events, Allen shared. He puts the delayed response to Crooks being on the roof down to “mass confusion” between the Secret Service and local law enforcement.
“Confusion on who should be acting, who should be addressing the situation then and there,” Allen said.
This confusion is what allowed the situation to escalate to the point that Trump was shot in the ear, one rally-goer was killed, and two attendees were critically wounded.
Allen said the security failure is the “worst case scenario” for the Secret Service. “This is a bad day for them,” he stated.
He added that the investigation into the incident will “take some time”, and in the immediate future Trump’s security will be “amped up” with more assets added.
