The Timeline

Everyone agrees that the assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life was a catastrophic security failure. We have noted several areas where security seemed to breakdown. But looking at the timeline of events raises serious concerns.

Here’s what we know (times listed are approximate):

3:00 -- The shooter enters the restricted area, and his rangefinder sets off a magnetometer. He is flagged by security.

5:11 -- The shooter is spotted by police near the building he will eventually fire from.

5:40 -- One officer sees the shooter and reports him as a suspicious person – the second time he is flagged.

5:45 -- Another officer notices the shooter surveilling the building roof and reports it – the third time he is flagged.

5:51 -- The Secret Service sees the shooter.

5:53 -- The Secret Service identifies the shooter as a threat – the fourth time he is flagged.

6:00 -- A law enforcement officer sees the shooter now has a backpack and reports it – the fifth time he is flagged. The officer observes the shooter using the rangefinder to judge the distance between the building and the stage and also reports this – the sixth time he is flagged.

6:02 -- Donald Trump walks out onto the stage to begin the rally.

6:03 -- The shooter climbs up the back of the building just as officers begin a perimeter walk around the building.

Not long after this, rally attendees see the shooter crawling on the roof and alert law enforcement.

One police officer, standing on another officer’s shoulders, pulled himself up to the roof and saw the shooter, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer let go of the roof, fell, and then called in the threat.

6:11 -- The shooter fires several rounds. He fired what would have been a killing shot but at that exact moment, Donald Trump turned his head and the bullet ripped through his ear. Sadly, one attendee was killed, and others were wounded.

6:12 -- The shooter is neutralized.

There are many questions, but here are two fundamental things no one can understand:

• Why wasn’t this wannabe assassin taken into custody when the Secret Service identified him as a threat – 18 minutes before he opened fire?

• And why was Donald Trump allowed to go on stage while the shooter remained a known threat?