A man fired “multiple shots” toward the stage during former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday evening, killing one spectator and critically injuring two others, according to the Secret Service.
Trump was rushed off the stage, blood visible around his right ear. He was taken to a hospital, and the Secret Service said he was “safe.” The Secret Service also said its agents had killed the shooter, whom federal law enforcement officials identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pa.
Senior FBI officials said Sunday that agents were investigating the shooting as a possible domestic terrorism attack and assassination attempt.
Here’s what we know about the shooting.
• The former president
Trump ducked quickly after the shots began and as members of the crowd began to scream. Secret Service agents then rushed Trump off the stage. As he was escorted to his motorcade, Trump, whose face and right ear were bloodied, pumped his fist in a defiant gesture to the crowd.
He later said in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
In his social media post, Trump wrote, “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
He was taken to a hospital Saturday and later flew to New Jersey, where he was able to walk off his plane unaided and spent the night at his golf club.
• The suspected shooter
The Secret Service said the shooter had fired “from an elevated position outside of the rally venue” before being killed by a sniper. An analysis by The New York Times suggested that the gunman fired eight shots.
In a statement, the FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
He was employed as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, according to the administrator at the facility. He graduated with an associate degree from the Community College of Allegheny County two months ago, school officials said.
Law enforcement officials recovered an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle from Crooks’ body. The FBI said the weapon was legally purchased by the shooter’s father, but it was unclear Sunday how the shooter gained possession of the firearm.
Among the gunman’s possessions, authorities also discovered a “rudimentary” explosive device, which was sent to the FBI’s lab in Quantico, Va., along with his phone and gun.
Law enforcement officials are investigating a motive in the attack and said that as of Sunday, there was nothing to indicate the shooter had mental health issues, and he so far has not been tied to any specific ideology. He’s believed to have acted alone, officials said.
• The casualties
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro identified the man who was killed at the rally as Corey Comperatore, 50, a firefighter and the father of two daughters. Local authorities said Comperatore had been in the bleachers when he was shot.
The Pennsylvania State Police identified the two people who were critically injured as David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pa., and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pa. Both patients were in critical but stable condition Sunday afternoon at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, said Dan Laurent, a hospital spokesperson.
• The scene
The shooting happened as Trump was holding a large outdoor rally on the grounds of the Butler Farm Show in Butler, a town of 13,000 people, about 34 miles north of Pittsburgh. Trump had been showing supporters a chart about the number of border crossings just minutes into his speech when the shots rang out. Attendees screamed, “Get down, get down!” and “Shots fired!” The Secret Service quickly cleared the press area, moved the crowd out and declared the area a crime scene. Some Trump supporters held hands and prayed and then chanted “USA!”
• The reaction
World leaders and elected officials across the United States, Republican and Democrat, forcefully condemned the shooting as an affront to democracy. In remarks delivered from the White House on Sunday, President Joe Biden said he had spoken with Trump on Saturday evening and is “sincerely grateful he is doing well and recovering.”
“An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation,’’ Biden said. “Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that now.” He pledged that federal authorities would conduct a “thorough and swift” investigation into the gunman’s motives and an independent review of security at the rally.
Former President Barack Obama called on Americans to “use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.”
Republicans also deplored the violence, with Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky saying: “Tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally.”
It was unclear Sunday how a would-be assassin had managed to open fire in the vicinity of a presidential candidate, raising questions about security preparations and potential failures.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability said that it would investigate and that Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the panel, had asked Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, to testify at a hearing July 22.
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