Story perspectives

Secret Service Counter-Drone Offline, Missed Alerts, Trump Grazed

7/3/2026

Summary

Story summary

An operator left the Secret Service’s counter-drone system offline, letting shooter Thomas Crooks’s drone fly undetected.
The DHS inspector general said the agency missed 102 alerts about Crooks at the July 13, 2024 Butler rally, while the Secret Service said it concurs with the recommendations and has begun reforms.
Local police acted on the alerts as Crooks took a rooftop spot overlooking President Donald Trump, where a bullet grazed the president’s ear.

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Story summary

An operator left the Secret Service’s counter-drone system offline, letting shooter Thomas Crooks’s drone fly undetected.
The DHS inspector general said the agency missed 102 alerts about Crooks at the July 13, 2024 Butler rally, while the Secret Service said it concurs with the recommendations and has begun reforms.
Local police acted on the alerts as Crooks took a rooftop spot overlooking President Donald Trump, where a bullet grazed the president’s ear.