A 20-year-old gunman opened fire on former President Donald Trump on Saturday in what is being considered the most serious attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate since 1981.
Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was identified by the FBI as the shooter following the shocking incident that took place during a protest in Butler.
It has since emerged through federal campaign finance records that the gunman was a registered Republican who had previously made a $15 donation to the liberal political action committee ActBlue on Jan. 20, 2021, the day of Biden’s inauguration.
Authorities have not released additional information about the shooter.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the FBI said in a statement issued Sunday morning.
The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, as the shooter in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on Saturday night. He was later shot dead by the Secret Service.
Donald Trump was addressing a cheering crowd at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, before he was shot in the ear.
The Secret Service rushed to his side and took the former president away as he was seen with blood running down his face.
Trump emerged from the protection of the officers and raised his fist, shouting: “Fight, fight, fight” before being taken to the hospital.
According to public court records in Pennsylvania, Crooks had no prior criminal history and officials said they are still working to identify a motive behind the shooting.
Crooks appeared to have graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School and received a $500 “star award” that year from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to a report by The Tribune Newspaper Review in western Pennsylvania.
In an online recording of the 2022 graduation ceremony, he can be seen walking across the stage as the crowd applauds him, before briefly posing with a school official and accepting his diploma.
His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN on Saturday night that he was trying to figure out “what the hell was going on” but would “wait until he talks to the police” before speaking about his son.
On Saturday, Crooks opened fire from a rooftop 130 yards from where Trump was on stage addressing thousands of fans in Butler at 6:15 p.m.
Footage from the moment shows Trump suddenly clutching his ear as blood streamed down his face after at least eight shots were fired in his direction.
The crowd began to scream and flee the scene as Secret Service agents surrounded the wounded former president.
But in a show of force, Trump emerged from the protection of the suited officers and raised his fist, shouting: “Fight, fight, fight,” before he was led away from the chaotic scenes and sent to the hospital.
Crooks had killed one member of the crowd and seriously wounded two others before being shot dead by the Secret Service.
The shooter died after firing from an “elevated position” outside the outdoor rally site, according to the Secret Service.
The footage shows at least four police officers surrounding the bloodied gunman and the AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle he used on the roof, while pointing their weapons at his body.
Following the shocking incident, Trump was seen a few hours later walking down the stairs of his plane, Trump Force One, in Newark, New Jersey.
Her deputy communications director, Margo Martin, posted the video on X, formerly Twitter, with the message: “Strong and resilient.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign event in Butler.
The former US president was seen with blood on his right ear as he was surrounded by security officers, who hurried him off the stage as he sang his first anthem to the crowd.
Snipers stand on a rooftop during Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler
The former president appears to have Secret Service agents in front of and behind him as he disembarks from the plane.
“He will never stop fighting for America,” wrote Margo Martin.
Current President Joe Biden also took to X after the attack to condemn the assassination attempt, and it has since been confirmed that he spoke to Trump after the shooting.
“I was informed about the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania,” she wrote in a post.
“I’m glad to hear he’s safe and well. I’m praying for him and his family and everyone who was at the rally as we await further information.
“Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for bringing him to safety. There is no place for this type of violence in America. We must come together as one nation to condemn it.”
Several other world leaders followed suit.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “horrified” by the “shocking scenes” and that political violence “has no place in our societies.”
Barack Obama, who was president before Trump until 2016, said “we should all be relieved” that he was not seriously injured.
And former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson added: “It’s a miracle that Donald Trump escaped an assassination attempt.”
Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, also shared a message acknowledging the “love and prayers” for her father and the other victims of “senseless violence.”
Referring to X, she wrote: ‘I am grateful to the Secret Service and all other law enforcement officers for their swift and decisive actions today.
‘I continue to pray for our country. I love you dad, today and always.’
Speaking for the first time since the assassination attempt, Trump thanked law enforcement and the Secret Service for their “quick response.”
He added: “Most importantly, I want to express my condolences to the family of the person who died in the demonstration, and also to the family of another person who was seriously injured.
“It is incredible that such an act could occur in our country.”
