At the moment of the shot

Trump probably saved himself at the last second

A bullet grazed Donald Trump's right ear.

(Bild: ,Krone KREATIV)

The assassination attempt on Donald Trump has revealed glaring security gaps. Three factors stand out in particular. New perspectives on the incident also show how lucky the Republican was - and how a movement of his head probably saved his life.

"I only now understand what actually happened," Trump explained in an initial newspaper interview with the Washington Examiner. Alongside the Republican, the picture of the assassination is also clearing up. It is becoming increasingly clear how lucky the 78-year-old was in the small town of Butler in Pennsylvania. Millimetres and milliseconds lay between a bloody ear and almost certain death.

The "Krone" has now been able to pinpoint the exact location of the shooter, who fired at Trump from a rooftop. 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks had a clear view of the ex-US president.

The shots came from approximately a 90-degree angle to Trump's position on the stage. A so-called "3 o'clock position":

At least one sniper team had a blocked view.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Google Maps)

According to Trump, he survived the attack because he turned away from the crowd at the crucial moment to read a statistic. "I rarely turn away from the crowd. If I hadn't done that at that moment, we wouldn't be talking today, would we?"

Head turn at the last moment
Very slowed-down images show his head moving to the side. It appears that Trump decisively reduced the area of impact at the last moment. Otherwise, the bullet would probably have hit him in the back of the head - and not in the upper right ear.

The moment of the first shot in slow motion:

However, it also becomes clear that the entire security team on site failed. Three factors stand out:

Factor 1

The size of the security zone

The Secret Service pursues a multi-level defense approach in its protection missions. The so-called security zone is divided into several levels, explained security expert Tim McMillan on X.

The inner zone is used to look out for threats in the immediate vicinity. These are the agents who pounced on Trump shortly after the shooting to form a human shield.

Donald Trump was buried by agents.

(Bild: Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker)

A second mid-level unit is tasked with defending against medium-range threats. This unit, according to McMillan, consists largely of local and state law enforcement agencies temporarily assigned to the security service. 

Finally, there is an expanded level that covers remote threats. At the campaign rally in the small town of Butler, snipers were positioned on the rooftops behind Trump for this purpose.

Zone was far too small
Experts criticize the fact that this security zone was far too small during the Republican's speech. The shooter's position was outside the security zone, although he only aimed his barrel at Trump from a distance of 137 meters. 

Given the proximity of the 20-year-old, it is reasonable to assume that the sniper teams were covering an area beyond his position. Videos from an event attendee clearly show them adjusting their weapons downward as Crooks fires the first shots (see tweet above). 

Because what was a gray area for the security zone teams should have been controlled by the local police.

Factor 2

The slow intervention of the local police

How can it happen that at a highly secured event a 20-year-old grabs his father's assault rifle and calmly climbs onto a roof to shoot one of the most protected men in the world? The answer: not at all!

Crooks was spotted by event attendees several minutes before the shooting. Trump fans filmed the assassin as he climbed onto the building to get into position. Several eyewitnesses reported having alerted the local police to "conspicuous activity". 

Trump supporter films the assassin shortly before the attack: 

Local police officers followed up on the tips and were able to locate Crooks after a brief search, Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe told CNN on Sunday.

During the manhunt for the 20-year-old Crooks, small-town police officers discovered the shooter was on the roof. Two officers formed a robber ladder to reach a ledge. The shooter turned around, saw the officer and pointed his gun at him.

The officer let go of the ledge to "take cover" and save his own life. The gunman then began firing from the roof. Moments later, Trump's blood spurted from his ear down his cheek. One firefighter lost his life and other participants were seriously injured.

The sheriff himself speaks of an "obvious" failure. Whether and when there was communication between the hard security zone and the local police outside the core area is not yet known.

Factor 3

A possibly obstructed view

By pinpointing the exact location of the shooter, it becomes clear that the view of at least one sniper team was obstructed by a tree. But even here, Trump may have been lucky.

"Given the position of the two sniper teams and the shooter, it appears that only the southern team was not completely obscured by a tree. Had the shooter been a meter further east, their view would have been obscured as well," explained OSINT expert Oliver Alexander in a post on X.

"I'm not supposed to be here, I'm supposed to be dead," Trump said in an interview published by the tabloid "New York Post" on Monday. He is probably right.