FBI identifies 20-year-old as a suspect in Trump rally shooting
Trump said he “was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear.”
At Pennsylvania — The FBI has identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the suspect in a shooting that occurred at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.
Chaos Erupts as Shots Ring Out
According to the FBI, Crooks opened fire from an elevated position outside the rally venue, injuring several people and killing at least one spectator.
The Secret Service said a shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue” before agents “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased.”Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with people screaming and dropping to the ground.
Dave McCormick, who was in the front row, said he heard “seven or eight” shots fired. “People started to panic,” he recalled. “Everyone dropped to the ground.”
Another witness, Rico Elmore, said he was about 20 feet away from Trump at the time and initially thought the shots were “fireworks.”
However, he soon realized the gravity of the situation, saying “I turned around, and someone yelled ‘medic.’”
Elmore tried to provide first aid to one of the victims but said “By the time I got there, it was too late. The person…was bleeding out through their head.”
Trump Rushed to Safety, Suffers Minor Injury
Trump was quickly rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents after the shooting started. He was taken to the hospital but is reported to be “fine”, with only a minor injury to his right ear.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said he “was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear.”
I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, and shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening,” Trump wrote.
Investigation Underway
Officials briefed on the investigation told ABC News that the shooting was being investigated as an assassination attempt and that live rounds were fired from outside the security perimeter.
The FBI stated they do not currently have an identified motive for the shooting, and the investigation remains “active and ongoing.”
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said the agency was trying to assess the motive for the shooting. “It’s a matter of doing biometric confirmations, so there was no identification on the individual for example so we’re looking at photographs right now and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation.”
Support and Condemnation
The incident sent shockwaves throughout the political world and sparked condemnation from both sides of the aisle as well as an outpouring of support for Trump.
President Joe Biden called the incident “sick” and said “there’s no place in America for this kind of violence.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence said he was “praying for President Trump and urging every American to join us.”Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a possible vice president pick, placed blame for the incident on President Biden, writing on social media that
“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
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Written by Nicholas Campbell Copywriter salary
