CBS- The gunman who fired shots at former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday night has been identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Crooks was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about an hour south of Butler.
He was killed by a Secret Service sniper at the rally, officials said.
In a statement, the FBI said:
“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. This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and 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.”
“We do not currently have an identified motive,” said Kevin Rojek, FBI Pittsburgh special agent in charge, at a briefing late Saturday night.
A law enforcement official said early Sunday that there are no foreign terrorism ties known at this time and the suspect was not on the radar of law enforcement, although they are still running his name down.
Federal investigators said the gunman was not carrying identification, so they analyzed his DNA to provide a biometric confirmation of his identity.
A law enforcement official said early Sunday that the Secret Service and the FBI are investigating the suspect’s background and speaking with his family. The FBI has secured his home and federal law enforcement is searching the premises of his family’s residence in suburban Pittsburgh, the law enforcement official said.
One audience member at the rally was killed in the shooting, and two are in critical condition, officials said. Police said the victims were all men; their names have not been released.
Trump said in a social media post that a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear. He was checked at a local hospital before leaving the area under Secret Service protection and flying to New Jersey late Saturday night.
The gunman opened fire with an AR-style rifle from 200 to 300 feet away from the rally stage, from a position on the roof of a shed outside the security perimeter, multiple law enforcement sources said.
Trump’s Secret Service detail was given additional assets that is part of the protocol for the presumptive nominee due to his heavy campaigning, which includes additional manpower, counter-sniper, drones and robotic dogs, the law enforcement official said. On Saturday, there were four counter-sniper teams on site, the official said.
Additionally, Trump’s teleprompter is protective and the flag and podium banners are made of steel, the law enforcement official said.
A man who was at the rally said that soon after Trump started speaking, he saw a man “bear crawling” up the building.
“We’re pointing at the guy,” said the witness, named Greg, adding, “he had a rifle — you could literally see him with a rifle.” He told the BBC that he and others told the police and were pointing him out to U.S. Secret Service agents, and he estimated that the man was on the roof for “three or four minutes” before shots were heard.
Other witnesses told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA that they also saw the gunman and tried to alert officers before the shooting.
The FBI is leading the investigation into the shooting.
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Just waiting for his pronouns and what he identify with cause I’m a 100% sure he’s apart of the special attention group
Just like the deranged one from Nashville that shoot up the school
Well with a title like that all you need to do was the deed
The failed assisination of Donald Trump should give everyone of us pause regarding our discourse on electronic platforms such as these. We can disagree without being disagreeable. We can all turn away from violence. Every person have their reason for supporting whoever they support. That doesn’t give any of us the right to resort to hateful, insulting and violent language. Ultimately it will lead to more violence. This is a moment when all of us should do some critical self analysis as to what we say and or write about each other. Our politicians are human beings too and are part of our community.
Thank God it wasn’t a non white person… not saying the actions was right and my heart goes out to the innocent person who lost their life but we all know the stigma and they will jump to the word terrorists if it was Asian or black
All I can say is am glad he’s not a black man hes a white man Trump own race who try to assinate him
trump got away with so many criminal case one criminal trying to kill another criminal its my business trump act like hes invincible nobody can touch him nobody the charges he gets away with it….mmmmm this is white ppl business let his own assinate him I jus hope black ppl dnt try this they already hates us
I have no remorse for that man what ever happen to him happen
lot a these young teen are suicidal bombers an shooters they dnt care who they assinate
am sure he has others working with
this should be a eye opener for trump to stop his evil talking an ways about throwing out all foreigners who l8ves there for yrs an students who study for yrs in America
majority of those said students are lawyers an doctors an some have part time job saving ppl lives
you can’t be so evil towards them they done nothing wrong
I dnt understand how he hate black ppl.do.much
funny thing is a white man try to tske him out his own race he should look into that you have to careful what yu say
it doesn’t give anyone the right to take someone lives over a speech but remember John F Kennedy he was assinated many yrs ago these ppl ain’t playing
The hate speech and disrespect for other cultures and humankind from a plethora of politicians around the globe is a direct consequence of these heinous acts – they should know better!
To me, all it simply does is unhinge the unstable
and poorly uneducated to react the only way they know how through violent acts.
Normally when these acts of violence occur, it is normally the hardworking and innocent bystanders that suffer the consequences (as happened at the Trump rally).
Politicians now need to lower their DISHARMONIOUS and DEMONIC rhetoric for their obvious benefit in creating “culture wars”, in trying to divide and conquer us.
A TACTIC THROUGHOUT TIME THAT HAS CAUSED (AND STILL CAUSING) UNTOLD HARM.
Politicians are not blameless in these dangerous rises …
Before you folks point fingers at others.Take a good look inside of your home and clean it out. Throw the trash dung a Cooks Dump in the process.
Well said Brixtonian. All of it has to stop.
This horrific incident. The 1/6 horrific incident. Nancy Pelosi husband horrific incident. The baseball field horrific incident.
As said this is 100% a DIRECT result of the hostile and combative environment that’s been created, set and now the norm for the entire country. The EXAMPLES of the harsh, demeaning, obscene and vicious dialogue is WhY these things happen.
This has to STOP.
@ Salty Peanuts you made me spit out good coffee with ur comment especially “ the special attention “ 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
He really looks like he from special group
Look retarded nf
WOW…. just WOW….
The boy shoots from a short distance away with an AR-15 rifle that can blow off a man’s head from afar off. A bullet hits his ear and just nicks off a piece instead of blowing off his face? The blood missed his hair and flew across his cheek and lower face in a nice straight line? No trail of blood running down his face? Look at his hand. Wouldn’t it be full of blood?
He went down and was not even stunned. He called for his shoe and asked for space so he could shake his fist to tell his MAGA to fight like hell.
Hours after he is on Truth Social cursing out everybody and lying about his cases. Then his soon to be VP is blaming Joe Biden for the shooting.
THEN THE NEWS MEDIA WITH THEIR PIOUSNESS SAYING TRUMP WILL WIN FOR SURE BECAUSE HE IS CALLING FOR UNITY AND LOVE.
Poor Joe. He is like the prodigal son’s brother. Getting no love from Mommy who is giving it all to her beloved son who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about her.
Man, you have to love dem Yankees. Yessirree!
It was attempted assination right, not assination. We are not accustomed to such ills, they say. It is not part of who we are they say. Tell that to the scores of actual leaders who were assinated the world over. Even as close as Haiti. Others who were assinated in other ways. Justifiable? Vindictive ? World order domination? Who knows, knows. What a world we live in.
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