The attack on former US President Donald Trump raised questions about how the Republican presidential candidate was protected during his election campaign and what caused the apparent security gaps at the public gathering on Saturday.
While information is still scarce about this rare incident, at least one person who spoke to the BBC said that he tried to alert the police and the US Secret Service, to no avail, to the presence of a sniper climbing onto a nearby roof outside the security perimeter. For the gathering place in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Secret Service
As a former president and Republican presidential candidate, Trump is primarily protected by the Secret Service.
During most Trump campaign rallies, local police assist the Secret Service in securing the venue.
Officers from other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, such as the Transportation Security Administration, sometimes assist with security operations.
This is not an easy task at all, as many of Trump's rallies involve thousands of attendees, are held outdoors, and last for hours.
Before any rally, officers check the venue for bombs or other threats, and Trump always arrives in a barricaded motorcade.
Law enforcement officials typically set up barricades and require all attendees to pass through a metal detector to enter the venue.
Armed security officers search all attendees' bags and even their wallets, and many gathering participants are manually searched.
However, Saturday's attack appears to have been committed by a gunman from a location outside the protected perimeter, according to initial media reports.
An area resident who was present at the gathering and requested to remain anonymous said he saw what appeared to be two Secret Service officers standing on a nearby roof before the event.
He added, "The officers were scanning the area with binoculars in advance. They continued to watch before Trump took the stage. They seemed to be very focused on that area."
The Secret Service said shortly after the shooting that it had launched an investigation into the incident and briefed President Joe Biden on developments in the matter.
In the moments following Trump's injury, members of the Secret Service quickly surrounded the former president and formed a human shield around him, while heavily armed officers wearing body armor and rifles ascended to the podium and appeared to scan the area for any potential dangers.
Trump was transferred to a black car that took him to a local hospital.
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