What You Need to Know About the Trump Assassination Attempt and Its Aftermath

The FBI is still trying to determine the motive for the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday, while the tone of this week’s Republican convention in Milwaukee is likely to be dominated by violence.

Former fire chief killed at Trump rally in Pennsylvania hailed as ‘man of conviction’

The shooting injured two other men and pierced the upper part of Trump’s ear. The 20-year-old accused by authorities of carrying out the attack is believed to have acted alone with his father’s gun.

Here’s a look at what we know so far about the Trump assassination attempt and its aftermath:

Acting strangely outside of the event

Authorities say Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania — about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the shooting scene — came to the attention of law enforcement when attendees at the Trump rally noticed he was acting strangely outside the event.

Police received a report of a suspicious man walking near the magnetometers and allegedly exchanging photos of the suspect. Witnesses pointed and shouted at an armed man on a nearby rooftop.

When a police officer climbed onto the roof to investigate, the gunman turned and pointed his rifle at him. But the officer didn’t fire — or couldn’t fire — a single shot. A sniper shot Crooks seconds after he fired an AR-style rifle at the former president, but it was too late.

Trump was holding up a chart showing the number of border crossings when the shootings started.

When the first shot rang out, Trump said, “Oh,” then put his hand to his right ear and looked at it before quickly crouching to the ground behind his lectern.

Someone near the microphone was heard yelling, “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as officers rushed to the stage. They piled on top of the former president to shield him with their bodies while other officers took up positions on stage to scan for the threat.

Trump later said the upper part of his right ear had been pierced by a bullet. His advisers said he was in “very good spirits” and doing well. He arrived in Milwaukee Sunday night for the convention, which began Monday.

Meanwhile, investigators are painstakingly trying to piece together how a gunman with no military experience managed to reach high ground and gain the upper hand on teams of secret service agents.

President Joe Biden has ordered an independent investigation into the assassination attempt. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he had “full confidence” in the leadership of the Secret Service, but conceded that the shooter should never have reached that deadly position.

“We’re talking about a failure,” Mayorkas told CNN. “We’re going to analyze, through an independent investigation, how this happened, why this happened, and make recommendations and findings to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

A loner whose motive remains unknown

The FBI believes Crooks acted alone. Investigators found no threatening comments on social media or ideological stances that could help explain what led him to target Trump.

The agency is investigating the shooting as a possible act of domestic terrorism. It said in a statement Monday that it had accessed Crooks’ cellphone and analyzed all of his electronic devices for a possible motive. Agents also conducted nearly 100 interviews with law enforcement officials, rally attendees and other witnesses.

Authorities believe the shooter’s AR-style rifle was purchased by his father. FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek, of Pittsburgh, said investigators do not yet know whether Crooks took the weapon without his father’s permission.

Crooks’ political leanings were not immediately clear. 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.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school but did not share any classes with Crooks, said Crooks was bullied at school and would sit alone at lunch. Other students would make fun of him because of the clothes he wore, including hunting gear, Kohler said.

“He was just an outcast, and you know how kids are these days,” Kohler told reporters.

Crooks worked at a nursing home as a dietary assistant, a job that typically involves preparing meals. Marcie Grimm, the administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, said in a statement that Crooks had a clean record when she was hired.

Former fire chief killed was ‘man of conviction’

Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday that the man killed at the Trump rally, Corey Comperatore, “threw himself toward his family to protect them.”

“Corey died a hero,” the governor said. Comperatore, 50, was a former fire chief.

Pennsylvania State Police have identified two other men who were shot as David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township. Both men remain hospitalized in stable condition, state police said.

Comperatore’s quick decision to use his body as a shield against the bullets flying toward his wife and daughter resonated with close friends and neighbors who loved and respected the 50-year-old proud Trump supporter, noting that the Butler County resident was a “man of conviction.”

“He’s a real hero. He pushed his family out of his way and got himself killed for them,” said Mike Morehouse, who has lived next door to Comperatore for the past eight years. “He’s a hero I was happy to have as a neighbor.”

Randy Reamer, president of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, called Comperatore “an honest guy” and “a real firefighter brother.” He said Comperatore had been chief of the company for about three years, but he was also a life member, meaning he had served for more than 20 years.

“He was a great guy, always willing to help someone,” Reamer said of Comperatore. “He always stood up for what he believed in, he never backed down from anyone. … He was a really good guy.”

Trump names running mate as convention begins

The Republican National Convention opened Monday, with Trump nominating U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate.

The former president and his advisers are vowing to show resilience in the face of the attack. The four-day event will highlight Trump and his agenda as his party officially chooses him as its nominee.

Republican officials have said they want to defy the threat Trump faces and stick to their plans and schedule. But at a minimum, the event should include a heightened focus on security and a grim acknowledgment of how incredibly close Trump came to losing his life.

The presumptive Republican nominee and his allies will undoubtedly face the nation united and ready to “fight,” as a bloodied Trump shouted Saturday as Secret Service agents at his Pennsylvania rally rushed him to safety.

Anger and anxiety are spreading through the party, even as many leading Republicans call for calm and a reduction in tensions. As elected officials, politicians and some ordinary Americans speak at the conference, the question is what tone will prevail in the aftermath of the attack: Will the rhetoric be even more heated, or will calls for calm prevail?