Donald Trump’s shooter identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks – National
A shooting at Donald Trump A rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being investigated as an attempt to assassinate the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, law enforcement officials said.
Trump called for unity and resilience Sunday as shocked leaders from across the political spectrum responded to the shooting.
The secret service said it had killed the alleged shooter, 20 years old Thomas Matthew Crookswho attacked from a high position outside the rally site.
Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that investigators believe the gun was purchased by Crook’s father at least six months ago.
Officials said federal agents were still working to understand when and how Crooks, a registered Republican voter in Pennsylvania according to state records, obtained the gun and to gather additional information about him as they worked to identify a possible motive.
The investigation is focusing on Crooks. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
A volley of gunfire sparked panic Saturday, and a bloodied Trump, who said he was shot in the ear, was surrounded by Secret Service officers and rushed to his SUV as he raised his fist in defiance.
The Trump campaign said the presumptive GOP nominee was “I’m fine” after the shooting which he said pierced the upper part of his right ear.
“I immediately knew something was wrong, I heard a whistle, gunshots, and immediately felt the bullet go through the skin. There was a lot of bleeding,” he wrote on his social media site.
One participant was killed and two spectators were seriously injured, authorities said. All were identified as men.
The attack was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since the assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, is shown covered by U.S. Secret Service agents after an incident at a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The move has focused attention on fears of political violence in a deeply polarized country less than four months before a presidential election. It could also change the tone and security posture of the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee.
Organizers said the convention would go ahead as planned.
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Trump flew to New Jersey after visiting a local hospital in Pennsylvania, landing shortly after midnight at Newark Liberty International Airport.
A video released by an aide shows the former president disembarking from his private jet flanked by U.S. Secret Service agents and heavily armed members of the agency’s counterattack team, an unusually visible show of force by his protection team.
President Joe Biden, who is running against Trump, was briefed on the incident and spoke with Trump several hours after the shooting, the White House said.
“There is no place in the United States for this type of violence,” the president said in a public address. “It is unhealthy. It is unhealthy.”
Biden had planned to return to Washington early, cutting short a weekend at his beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Many Republicans were quick to pin the blame for the violence on Biden and his allies, saying that repeated attacks on Trump as a threat to democracy have created a toxic environment. They pointed in particular to a comment Biden made to donors on July 8, saying that “it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye.”
Authorities said members of the U.S. Secret Service’s counterattack team killed the shooter. The heavily armed tactical team travels everywhere with the president and major party candidates and is supposed to deal with any active threats while other agents focus on protecting and evacuating the person at the center of the protection.
Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to a third person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign event in Butler, Pa., Saturday, July 13, 2024.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
An AP analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos from the scene of Trump’s rally, as well as satellite imagery of the site, shows the shooter was able to get surprisingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking.
A video posted on social media and geotagged by the AP shows the body of a person wearing gray camouflage lying motionless on the roof of a building at AGR International Inc., a manufacturing plant just north of the Butler Farm Show grounds where Trump’s rally was held.
The rooftop where the person was located was less than 150 yards from where Trump was speaking, a distance at which a good sniper could reasonably hit a man-sized target. For reference, 150 yards is the distance at which U.S. Army recruits must hit a man-sized figure in order to fire the M-16 rifle. The AR-15, like the one used by the shooter at the Trump rally, is the semi-automatic civilian version of the military M-16.
Asked at the news conference whether law enforcement did not know the shooter was on the roof before he started shooting, Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said, “That’s our assessment at this point.”
“It is surprising” that the shooter was able to open fire at the scene before intelligence officials killed him, he added.
Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, is helped off the stage during a campaign event in Butler, Pa., Saturday, July 13, 2024.
Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose department oversees the Secret Service, said officials were engaged with the Biden and Trump campaigns and “taking every possible step to ensure their safety.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press
