The FBI early Sunday named Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the shooter in what is being investigated as an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The agency said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Officials have not identified a motive for the shooting.
The Associated Press said the “political leanings” of Crooks were not immediately clear. Records indicated he was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee the day President Joe Biden was sworn in to office in 2021, reported The Associated Press.
Shortly after Trump took the stage at the fairgrounds in Butler, Pennsylvania to give his speech, the suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an “elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the Secret Service said.
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The suspected shooter was killed at the scene shortly after he started firing into the crowd, according to law enforcement. The Secret Service said its personnel “neutralized” the shooter.
An AR-style rifle was found near the shooter, The Associated Press reported.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he was shot in his right ear, but the Trump campaign said he is doing fine after getting checked
out at a medical facility.
One person who was attending the rally was killed and two others are in critical condition, according to the Secret Service.
The FBI is leading the investigation into the shooting and said anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online at fbi.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
