Donald Trump Attacked: Suspected Shooter Shot Dead

Donald Trump Attacked: A 20-year-old man suspected of shooting at former U.S. President Donald Trump was shot dead on Saturday, the Secret Service confirmed in a statement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) later specified the suspect as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a Bethel Park, Pennsylvania resident.

Donald Trump Attacked Incident Details:

Trump was targeted while speaking at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. Four shots were fired, one of which grazed Trump’s right ear. Trump shared on social media shortly after the incident, “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

The Secret Service reported that the shooter was killed during the confrontation. Additionally, one rally attendee died, and two other spectators were injured.

The FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a registered Republican, according to Pennsylvania state voter records accessed by Reuters. The police have not yet determined the official motive behind the attack.

Eyewitness Accounts and Security Response:

Security officials stated that the suspect fired from an elevated shed approximately 200 to 300 feet away using an AR-style rifle. An eyewitness interviewed by the BBC reported seeing a man armed with a rifle crawling up a roof near the event and attempted to alert security by pointing at the man.

The shots appeared to have been fired from outside the secured area managed by the Secret Service.

Police and FBI Statements on Donald Trump Attacked:

The U.S. police have appealed to the public for information and any mobile phone footage of the attack. During a news conference, Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, expressed surprise that the gunman was able to fire multiple shots.

Rojek emphasized the ongoing investigation, stating, “We are still working through the security apparatus that the Secret Service had in place and what potentially happened.” He noted that a thorough investigation would be conducted into how the individual was able to access the location and the type of weapon used.

Rojek also mentioned that a suspicious package was identified near the shooter’s location, prompting the deployment of bomb squads to ensure the area was safe for investigators. “It’s primarily standard procedure for any suspicious packages. In this case, there was identification of a suspicious package around where the shooter was. So we deployed, in an abundance of caution, bomb assets to make sure those were cleared for investigators to move safely in the area,” he said.