What we know about the assassination attempt on Trump and the shooter

Former President Donald Trump was shot during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. He was immediately rushed to safety after suffering an ear injury. Details about the incident and the identity of the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, are coming to light. Here’s what we know.

Where did it happen?

The shooting occurred at a presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a city in the western part of the state about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh.

What happened?

About six minutes into Trump’s speech, the former president could be seen clutching his ear after popping noises rang out throughout the rally. Trump ducked to the ground as several Secret Service agents rushed the stage and surrounded him from all sides. Screams from onlookers rang out as the scene unfolded.

Rough A minute later, agents helped Trump get up from the ground. He raised his fist to the crowd, earning cheers from his supporters. Several agents then rushed toward him. from the stage and escorted him into a vehicle.

Blood was visible on Trump’s ear and the side of his face. He later said on his social media page Truth Social that a bullet had “pierced the top of my right ear.”

Trump was speaking about President Joe Biden’s immigration policies when shots rang out.

Was anyone else injured?

One spectator died and two others were seriously injured, said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police.

All three were men, he said, adding that authorities had identified the victims but would not release their identities at this time.

Witnesses reported hearing loud bangs. One person said they saw someone shot in the back of the head and another person said they saw someone “bleeding profusely.”

There were no police officers among the injured, Bivens said.

Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas said in a statement that his nephew was injured in the shooting. Jackson said his family was sitting near Trump and when they heard the gunshots, his nephew felt something grazed and cut his neck.

He said his nephew’s injury was not serious and “he is fine.”

Was it an assassination attempt? Which authorities are investigating?

Law enforcement authorities are investigating the incident as an attempted murder.

“Tonight there was an assassination attempt on our former President Donald Trump,” said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.

The FBI said it is leading the investigation and that special agents from its Pittsburgh field office responded immediately. They are working with the U.S. Secret Service and state and local law enforcement agencies.

“We will continue to support this investigation with all FBI resources, along with our partners at the U.S. Secret Service and state and local law enforcement,” the FBI said in a statement. “Anyone with information that may assist in the investigation is asked to call our tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.”

The House of Representatives will also investigate the shooting, and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) had previously stated that his committee would investigate the case.

Who is the shooter? What was the motive?

The shooter is dead, the Secret Service confirmed on X. The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The predominantly white, relatively affluent city is located south of Pittsburgh.

“We currently have no identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to determine the motive,” Rojek said.

Pennsylvania’s voter rolls list a person with the same name, address, and birthdate as a registered Republican, but the rolls do not indicate when this change was made.

It is not known whether the shooter acted alone or in coordination with others. According to a U.S. official, there is currently no evidence that the shooting is linked to a foreign perpetrator.

Where was the shooter? Was the shooter able to get through security?

The shots were fired from outside the security perimeter set up by the Secret Service, three senior police officials told NBC News.

Bivens, a lieutenant colonel with the Pennsylvania State Police, said the building where the shooter was hiding was “some distance” from the security perimeter.

The information clarifies whether and how a shooter was able to get a firearm past the security forces and magnetometers for weapon detection at the rally. Apparently the shooter did not succeed in doing so.

The shooter appears to have been on a nearby roof.

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What have we heard from Trump?

Trump first posted about the incident on Truth Social.

“I was hit by a bullet that pierced the top of my right ear. I knew immediately something was wrong because I heard a whooshing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet go through the skin. There was severe bleeding so I realized what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” he wrote.

He thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their quick response. He added: “Most importantly, I want to express my condolences to the family of the person killed at the rally, as well as the family of another person who was seriously injured.”

“It is unbelievable that such an act can take place in our country. Nothing is currently known about the shooter, who is now dead,” he wrote.

What have we heard from Trump’s family?

Melania Trump released a statement on Sunday describing the anguish she felt over the incident and thanking the Secret Service agents and police who responded. She also expressed condolences to the victims.

“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine tried to bring out Donald’s passion – his laughter, his ingenuity, his love of music and his inspiration,” she wrote in the statement. “The core aspects of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried beneath the political machine.”

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She encouraged people to look beyond party politics: “Let us not forget that different opinions, political strategies and political games are inferior to love.”

Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, condemned the attack in a statement on X and thanked people for their prayers. “I am grateful to the Secret Service and all other law enforcement officers for their quick and decisive action today,” she wrote. “I continue to pray for our country.”

“I love you, Dad, today and always,” she added.

Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said in a statement through his spokesman that he spoke to his father on the phone on Saturday and was in “great spirits.” “He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him,” Trump Jr. said.

Her brother Eric Trump tweeted a picture of his father raising his fist in the air after the shooting. “This is the fighter America needs!” the post said.

Has Biden responded?

Biden said he spoke with Trump after the shooting, as well as with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy.

About 90 minutes after the shooting, the president addressed reporters for the first time from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

“This is sick. This is sick. This is one of the reasons why we must unite this country,” he said. “We cannot tolerate this.”

Biden said Trump appeared to be fine. Asked by a reporter if he believed the scene was an attempted assassination, Biden said, “I have an opinion, but I don’t know all the facts.”

Biden added that he wanted more information before making further comments.

According to a source familiar with the matter, the president became aware of the shooting after leaving a Catholic mass he had attended in Delaware.

The election campaign has been put on hold, an official said. The campaign will “pause all outbound communications and work to shut down our television advertising as quickly as possible,” the official said.

Will Trump still attend the Republican Party Convention?

The Republican Party Convention, at which Trump and his vice presidential candidate will be officially nominated as the party’s candidates, is scheduled to take place in Milwaukee from Monday to Thursday.

Before Saturday’s shooting, Trump was expected to select his vice presidential candidate in the next few days and deliver an acceptance speech on Thursday evening.

Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee subsequently said in a joint statement on Saturday that the former president looked forward to “joining all of you in Milwaukee as we hold our convention to nominate him as the 47th President of the United States.”