Almost a year has passed since Donald Trump stepped on stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a would-be assassin's bullet skimmed his ear.
In an instant, the then US-presidential candidate went from revving up the crowd to being hauled to the ground by the Secret Service.
Now, more details have emerged around the fallout of the near-fatal incident.
In an interview with CBS News, Secret Service deputy director Matt Quinn revealed six Secret Service personnel were suspended for weeks without pay following the close call.
Mr Quinn — who was appointed to the job in May — called the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt an "operational failure" but said no agent would be facing termination.
Butler an 'operational failure'
The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks as the shooter behind the attack at the Pennsylvania rally, which injured the former president and left a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter dead.
Two others were also left injured.
Crooks carried out the attack from a rooftop of a nearby building and was killed by Secret Service snipers shortly after he opened fire.
Crooks was not under FBI surveillance or investigation prior to the attack.
"Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler," Mr Quinn told CBS News.
"Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again."
The Secret Service is part of the US Department of Homeland Security and protects US political leaders, their families and visiting dignitaries.
Mr Quinn told CBS News six Secret Service personnel were suspended without pay for up to six weeks following the shooting.
The agents were then placed into restricted duty roles with less operational duties, however it remains unclear if these agents returned to their previous roles.
Mr Quinn told CBS News the agency would not be terminating employees.
"We aren't going to fire our way out of this," Mr Quinn said.
"We're going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation."
Mr Quinn said the Secret Service has introduced a new fleet of military-grade drones and new mobile command posts, which will allow agents to communicate over radio with local law enforcement.
"We are laser-focused on fixing the root cause of the problem," Mr Quinn said.
Intense scrutiny
The Secret Service faced significant criticism following the shooting, with then-director Kimberly Cheatle resigning within the fortnight.
Ms Cheatle was subpoenaed to appear at a US congressional oversight hearing where several committee members questioned her about security decisions surrounding the Pennsylvania rally and called on her to step down.
She told the hearing that the incident was the agency's "most significant operational failure" in decades, adding that she took "full responsibility".
An independent review found the Secret Service displayed a lack of critical thinking before and after the assassination attempt on Mr Trump.
The 51-page report outlined multiple communications breakdowns and accused the organisation of becoming "bureaucratic, complacent and static" even as risks and technology evolved.
