FBI identifies shooter as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man Thomas Crooks
Crooks, a registered Republican voter, was on the roof of a manufacturing plant when one of his bullets reportedly grazed Trump’s ear. He was killed at the scene by Secret Service agents.
USA: The FBI has identified the person who shot at former United States President Donald Trump during an election rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park.
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement quoted by NBC and CBS.
Crooks was positioned on the roof of a manufacturing plant when one of his bullets reportedly grazed Trump in the ear, The New York Post reported.
Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks?
According to the NY Post, Crooks, a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, has been identified as the assailant responsible for the violent attack on former President Donald Trump while he was addressing a rally.
As per public records, Crooks was registered to vote as a Republican, but had also made a small donation to a Democratic-aligned group in 2021.
The gunman reportedly positioned himself 130 yards away from the stage at Butler Farm Show grounds, where the presidential campaign event was in full swing. The assailant was then taken down by Secret Service snipers, who found an AR-style rifle at the scene.
Premature to determine if the attempt was work of a “lone wolf”
Trump was shot while he was addressing a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Officials indicated that it is premature to determine if the assassination attempt was the work of a “lone wolf.”
“It’s too early to make that call. We have tentatively identified one shooter, but our investigation continues. We’re following numerous leads, and it will take some time before we can conclusively determine if there was only one gunman,” stated Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bevins.
In a social media post, Trump said he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.” The former president was quickly whisked from the stage by Secret Service agents, his ear covered in blood.
A prosecutor said the suspected gunman and at least one attendee are dead, and the Secret Service said two spectators were critically injured.
President Joe Biden and political leaders of all stripes condemned the attack. “There’s no place in America for this type of violence,” Biden said. “It’s sick. It’s sick.”
Former President Donald Trump’s private jet landed shortly after midnight Sunday at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Video posted by an aide showed him deplaning flanked by U.S. Secret Service agents and heavily armed members of the agency’s counter assault team, an unusually visible show of force by his protective detail.
Trump planned to spend the night at his private golf club in nearby Bedminster, New Jersey.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden arrived at the White House early Sunday after cutting short a weekend trip to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
According to White House officials, Biden also spoke with Trump and will receive a briefing from Homeland Security and law enforcement officials on the attempted assassination. Vice President Kamala Harris will also attend the briefing.
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