Days after a lone gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, law enforcement officials are still trying to determine a motive.
Investigators have searched the 20-year-old’s home, vehicle, computer, and phone and have yet to find any type of manifesto or meaningful clue, officials close to the case reportedly told The Associated Press.
The shooter had a minimal presence on social media, and people claiming to be his former high school classmates described him as an outcast. However, they also said that nothing about him seemed dangerous.
What is known so far is the gunman did not have a criminal past and had no history of mental health issues, according to law enforcement.
He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and then obtained an associate degree with honors in engineering science from the Community College of Allegheny County, according to The Associated Press.
He reportedly had tried out for his high school rifle team as a freshman but was rejected for poor marksmanship, The Associated Press said.
The shooter did not appear to have an allegiance to one political party. Records obtained by Scripps News from the Federal Elections Commission show a donation to Democrats by someone with the same name and address as the shooter.
In January 2021, he gave $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, which is described on its website as “the largest voter contact organization in the country, specifically dedicated to mobilizing the Democratic Party and defending democracy.” But then eight months later, he identified himself as a Republican when he registered to vote at age 18.
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He worked as a dietary aide at a local nursing home, and CNN reported he had requested the day off for Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the shooting occurred on Saturday — about an hour away from Bethel Park.
The shooter was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club near his hometown and practiced at the rifle range the day before the shooting, according to The Associated Press, which cited a federal intelligence briefing.
On the day of the assassination attempt, the gunman bought 50 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition for the AR-15-style rifle believed to be used in the shooting. The rifle belonged to his father, who bought the gun from a retail outdoors chain in 2013, according to The Associated Press.
The shooter, wearing a T-shirt with the logo of the popular firearms YouTube channel “Demolition Ranch” and camo shorts, parked at a gas station near the event.
CNN reported the gunman entered through security for the rally with a rangefinder, used by shooters to measure the distance of a long shot, raising a red flag.
He walked around the rally for at least a half-hour, then, at some point, he left the secured area to get the rifle from his car, according to officials and witnesses.
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Some reports have said the shooter used a ladder to gain access to the rooftop of a building about 140 yards away from the stage where Trump was speaking, outside of the perimeter secured by the Secret Service. Other reports state he got to the roof by climbing onto an air conditioning unit first.
A law enforcement analyst told CNN a counter-sniper saw the shooter on the roof through his scope, looking at him with the rangefinder, but did not see a gun. It was about the same time witnesses on the ground at the rally told law enforcement they had seen a man acting suspiciously.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told CNN one of his deputies had encountered the shooter but was unable to stop him, falling to the ground after attempting to climb the roof where the shooter was perched.
In a matter of minutes, the gunman opened fire, fatally injuring a 50-year-old firefighter identified as Corey Comperatore and critically wounding two others. Trump said he was shot in the right ear and had he not turned his head at that moment, he would have also been mortally wounded.
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A counter-sniper was able to kill the gunman quickly after he opened fire, officials said.
A Secret Service source confirmed to Scripps News that the agency did not sweep the rooftop where the gunman fired from, saying it was up to local law enforcement to secure that building.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Police told Scripps News the department provided “all resources” that the Secret Service requested for Trump’s rally, including 30 to 40 troopers who helped secure the inside perimeter, but that it “was not responsible for securing” the building or the property it resides on.
Despite the flurry of conspiracy theories that have developed since the shooting, the Secret Service said it actually increased security for Trump before the rally due to a credible threat from Iran.
President Joe Biden has ordered an independent review of the agency’s actions surrounding the event, which the Secret Service said it would fully participate in. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general said it has opened an investigation into the agency’s handling of security.
The FBI is leading the investigation into the assassination attempt.
