PHOENIX — A gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump while he was speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

The former president was shot in the ear and then escorted off the stage by Secret Service agents and placed in an SUV.

At least one rally attendee was killed, authorities said, and two others were seriously injured. The Secret Service said it shot and killed a suspect who had fired shots from a high point outside the secured area around the rally.

It was the first major assassination attempt on a president or presidential candidate since the shooting of President Ronald Reagan in 1981, and came just days before former President Trump was scheduled to accept the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

The shooter has not been identified and no motive for the shooting has been released.

RELATED: Arizona politicians react to shooting that injured former President Donald Trump at campaign rally

In the wake of the assassination attempt on the former president, 12News political insider Bram Resnick spoke with former Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone, who served as sheriff for over seven years and helped provide security for many major events, including the Super Bowl, the World Series and President Trump rallies.

Penzone said he was “disappointed” by the violence that erupted in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

“I've been in this business for so long that I don't think it should come as a surprise to me because we've become a country where violence is so commonplace,” Penzone said, “but it's really sad.”

Penzone said former President Trump held rallies outdoors, making it much more difficult to ensure security at the gatherings.

“The environment absolutely complicates the ability to account for everything,” Penzone said, “but having said that, at least in Arizona, and I would expect the same in Pennsylvania, which I'm not criticizing, the resources are enormous when it comes to this situation. And you should never underestimate the possibilities of where it's coming from and how it's going to happen, and you have to look at it again and again.”

“So, although it is more difficult, it is part of our country and we shouldn't run away from it by saying it's hard because there are threats. This is a free country and we celebrate peace and democracy and we should be prepared for violence, not fear it. So, although it is complicated, I don't think that's why we should shy away from it.”

But Penzone said more should have been done to keep everyone at former President Trump's rally safe, especially when it came to securing the “high ground.”

“It's a little surprising because typically high ground or elevated areas that are favorable to someone who is trying to harm the person that you're trying to protect are the ones that are checked first to make sure there aren't any oversights or areas that are vulnerable,” Penzone said. “You always want to look back and see what we could have done better or what we should have done better,” the former sheriff continued. “But at the end of the day, if a former president who was a presidential candidate came within a few millimeters or an inch of losing his life, there's no victory. And that's a failure. The fact that a shooter was able to get to that pillar and fire a shot that could have taken someone's life, and a life was lost, that's a failure.”

Penzone also said Secret Service agents should not have shown the former president's face after the shooting.

“This is a powerful moment that shows his resilience, so I appreciate the strength he's showing in that situation,” Penzone said, “but if I was the team in charge, I would never want to see his face again until he was gone from that place. That place is no longer pure.”

The former sheriff also said that given the current political climate, everyone needs to be more prepared for the possibility of violence.

“There is no justification for violence, but we must not underestimate its existence. We must prepare for it, not fear it, and be empowered by our preparation,” Penzone said.

Penzone added that he didn't know whether the shooting would lead to any changes to how presidents and former presidents are protected.

“I don't know if it's necessarily tactically. Making a change simply means reexamining what we could have done or should have done to prevent that from happening,” Penzone said. “That being said, I can't go into every detail. It's not realistic. But as we go through it, we have to ask ourselves those details. Did we overlook them or were they outside of our control? And we have to be hard on ourselves as we evaluate that we have to do that.”

He also urged election officials to take special precautions when it comes to security.

“Never underestimate the potential threat, never take it for granted, and always step up,” Penzone said. “And a lot of times we all want to feel empowered that we're safe, that this isn't real, or that we're not scared or frightened by this. And you shouldn't either, but you should be empowered — that means stepping up for your safety, for your family, for those around you.”

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