Shooter was spotted by local law enforcement outside event, official says

[demmiblue]

The shooter at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night was spotted outside the event by local law enforcement, who thought he might’ve been acting suspiciously near the walk-through metal detectors, according to a senior law enforcement official.

Authorities announced over law enforcement radio to keep an eye on him, and that information was passed to Secret Service as well, according to the source.

Later, people alerted law enforcement in a field outside the event that they saw a gunman up on the rooftop.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/election-biden-trump-07-13-24/index.html

[Sneederbunk]

1. The AR-15 in his pants was a dead giveaway.

[LisaL]

6. Open carry state.

NT

[Deep State Witch]

11. Someone With A Gun At a MAGA Rally

Must be like someone with weed at a Phish concert.

[Fla Dem]

2. Sounds like someone clearly dropped the ball.

[praxEs]

12. Yes.

It sounds like a classic diffusion of responsibility where everyone imagined that others would watch out for him leaving no one with the specific responsibility.

[GreenWave]

3. Perhaps thinking. "He's one of us. No real worry."

[Flatrat]

4. Or he hid the long gun beforehand

And a sweep wasn't done or the sweep missed it.

Any site assessment should have deemed the rooftops critical to event security. 400' line of sight to the podium.

[LonePirate]

5. PA is an open carry state with no permit required. The Secret Service couldn't do anything until he acted.

Once again, it’s the bullshit gun laws in this country which promote more violence than they prevent.

[Straw Man]

8. Sorry to burst your bubble, but ...

... the notion that open carry laws prevent the Secret Service from detaining/neutralizing individuals who are carrying firearms in proximity to the POTUS (or ex-POTUS, or whomever they are protecting) is absurd.

[LonePirate]

9. Try again. He was outside the normal security perimeter. Witnesses saw him walking w/his gun. Security did nothing.

[Straw Man]

10. What is a "normal security perimeter"?

Is that a legal designation? The Secret Service can and will take all precautions they deem necessary to guard their protectee.

Who are the "security" who did nothing? They should have reported their finding to the SS agents, who would certainly have taken action.

[Igel]

7. There were metal detectors?

I thought there weren't.