FBI investigates attack on Trump rally as possible act of domestic terrorism

BUTLER, Pennsylvania – Former President Donald Trump called for unity and resistance on Sunday after an attempt on his life injected new uncertainty into the already tumultuous presidential campaign and raised burning questions about how a gunman could open fire from a rooftop near a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

A full day after the shooting, the gunman’s motive remained a mystery, and investigators believe he acted alone before being shot by Secret Service agents. President Joe Biden ordered an independent security review of the attack that killed one bystander and seriously injured two others. The FBI was investigating the shooting as a possible act of domestic terrorism.

The attack shook the firmament of the American political system and led to a reassessment and – at least temporary – relaxation in the heated and increasingly brutal 2024 presidential election campaign.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said the top of his right ear was pierced by a bullet. His aides said he was in “good spirits” and doing well. He had arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday.

“I knew immediately that something was wrong because I heard a hissing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet go through the skin,” he wrote on his social media page. “There was severe bleeding.”

In a subsequent social media post on Sunday, Trump said: “At this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united and show our true character as Americans by remaining strong and determined and not allowing evil to win.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said the protester killed was Corey Comperatore, a former local fire chief, adding that Comperatore “died a hero.”

“His wife told me he lunged at his family to protect them,” Shapiro said. The other two injured bystanders were in stable condition.

Biden spoke briefly with Trump and was scheduled to address the nation on Sunday evening. The president said the country will continue to debate and disagree, but stressed, “We must unite as a nation to show who we are.”

FBI investigates shooting as possible domestic terrorism

The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles from the crime scene.

The gunman was carrying his father’s AR rifle and was crouched on a nearby rooftop when some protesters alerted local police to his presence, said two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

A local police officer climbed onto the roof and found Crooks, who pointed the rifle at the officer. The officer then climbed down the ladder and the gunman fired rapidly at Trump, officials said. Then U.S. Secret Service gunmen shot him dead, officials said.

There were many questions about how the gunman was able to get so close in the first place. Kevin Rojek, the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office chief, said it was “surprising” that the gunman was able to open fire on the stage before the Secret Service killed him.

Bomb-making materials were found in both Crooks’ vehicle and his home. The FBI described the equipment as “rudimentary.”

His motive remained unclear. Crooks was not on the FBI’s radar and is believed to have acted alone. Investigators searched his social media feeds and home but found no immediately threatening writings or posts. His family cooperated. Crooks’ relatives did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment from AP.

Crooks’ political affiliation was also unclear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he donated $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day Biden was sworn in as president.

The lack of a clear ideological motive increased doubts about the shooting and prevented the public from drawing quick and clear conclusions about this shocking crime.

Biden urged Americans to remain patient. “I ask everyone – everyone, not to make any assumptions about his motives or his connections,” he said.

Worst assassination attempt since 1981

The attack was the most serious assassination attempt on a president or presidential candidate since the assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981. Just four months before the presidential election, it renewed attention to concerns about political violence in the deeply polarized United States.

According to FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, agents have observed increasingly violent rhetoric on the Internet since the rally and have noticed that people on the Internet have been posing as the dead shooter.

“We are also focusing on further efforts – which have already been significant because these are special national security events – for meetings in Chicago and Milwaukee,” he said.

Biden on Sunday ordered a security review of the Republican National Convention’s proceedings, which are proceeding as planned. The Secret Service said it was “confident” about the security plan for the RNC and no further changes were planned.

Biden, who is running against Trump, said the two men had a “brief but good” conversation on Saturday night. Biden was returning to Washington from his beachfront home in Delaware, where he met with leaders in the Situation Room to discuss the attack. In a speech on Sunday afternoon, he said: “There is no place for this kind of violence in America.”

“We cannot allow this to happen,” Biden said.

Still, many Republicans were quick to blame Biden and his allies for the violence, arguing that continued attacks on Trump, who is seen as a threat to democracy, had created a toxic climate.

It is still unclear whether Biden will be forced to re-orient his campaign, which primarily portrays Trump as a threat to democracy. Such a situation has not occurred in the United States since Teddy Roosevelt was shot a month before the election in 1912 while fighting to regain the White House as a third-party candidate.

A rally was disrupted by gunfire

Trump was just showing a chart showing the number of border crossings when the shooting started after 6:10 p.m. on Saturday.

When the first bang sounded, Trump said, “Oh,” raised his hand to his right ear and looked at it before quickly ducking to the floor behind his lectern. The people in the stands behind him also ducked as screams echoed through the crowd.

Someone near the microphone could be heard shouting, “Down, down, down, down!” as agents rushed the stage, crowding the former president to shield him with their bodies while other agents took up positions on the stage to search for the threat.

Then voices were heard saying “The shooter is down” several times before someone asked, “Can we go?” and “Are we free?” Then someone ordered, “Let’s go.”

Trump stood up a moment later and could be seen reaching for his bloodied face with his right hand. He then raised his fist in the air and appeared to whisper the word “fight” twice to his supporters, prompting loud cheers and eventually shouts of “USA. USA. USA.”

His motorcade left the venue moments later. A video shows Trump turning to the crowd and raising a fist just before he is placed into a vehicle.

Witnesses heard several shots and took cover

When the firing started, “everyone was on their knees or on their stomachs because we all knew. Everyone was aware that it was gunshots,” said Dave McCormick, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, who was sitting to Trump’s right on the stage.

When he saw Trump raise his fist, McCormick said, he looked over his shoulder and noticed someone had been punched while he was sitting in the stands behind the stage.

Eventually, rescue workers managed to carry the injured man out of the large crowd so he could receive medical attention, McCormick said.

Reporters at the rally heard five or six gunshots, and many took cover, hiding under tables. After the first two or three bangs, people in the crowd seemed startled but not panicked. An AP reporter at the scene said the noise initially sounded like fireworks or perhaps a car backfiring.

Once it was clear that the situation was under control and Trump would no longer speak, attendees began to leave the venue. Police soon ordered everyone to leave the venue, and Secret Service agents described the location as “a living crime scene.”

Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, who represents the district where the shooting occurred, attended the rally with his wife and grandchildren and was standing directly behind Trump when he was injured. Kelly said he was “in a state of disbelief at how and what has happened to the United States of America.”

“I just wish people would step back a little,” he said. “Stop blaming anyone. The blame lies somewhere in the American psyche.”

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Colvin, Balsamo and Price reported from New York. Long reported from Washington. Tucker reported from Westport, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Will Weissert, Michael Biesecker, Alanna Durkin Richer, Lisa Mascaro and Tara Copp in Washington and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.