Possible assassination attempt at Trump rally; shooter dead, DA says

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Former President Donald Trump was swarmed by Secret Service agents and rushed off stage as possible shots were heard during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. There appeared to be blood on his right ear as he was being taken off stage, as Trump was seen mouthing "fight" and pumping his fist.

A spokesperson for Trump said in a statement, "President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility."

A shooter is dead, Butler County District Attorney Richard A. Goldinger told ABC News. One bystander is "confirmed dead," and "possibly a second" bystander is dead as well, Goldinger added.

The incident is being investigated as a possible assassination attempt, officials briefed on the situation told ABC News. The officials said live rounds were apparently fired from outside the security perimeter.

Donald Trump Jr., told ABC News he has spoken to his father, who remains at the hospital. He said his father is "in good spirits" as he remains under observation, adding that his father is "never gonna stop."

Dave McCormick, who's running for U.S. Senate, told ABC News he was in the front row of the rally. He said he heard "seven or eight" shots fired. "People started to panic," he said. "Everyone dropped to the ground."

Trump began his speech at about 6 p.m. and was only shortly into his speech when a disturbance caused Secret Service to swarm the former president. He was then led off the stage quickly, pumping his fist on stage and also as he was helped into a vehicle to be taken away.

Heavily armed security personnel got on stage as he was led off.

"An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania," the Secret Service said in a statement. "The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available."

The White House said in a statement, "The President has received an initial briefing on the incident at Former President Trump's rally."

"Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable," Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement. "It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States."

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a possible vice president pick, wrote on social media, "Everyone join me in praying for our President Trump and everyone at that rally. I hope everyone is ok."

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a possible vice presidential pick, posted to X, calling for prayers for the former president.

"Please join Kathryn and me in praying for President Trump, his family and everyone attending the rally today."

 

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[Charlemagne]

Would not be surprised if it was someone even further to the right than Trump, seeing as how Alex Jones turned on him for trying to distance himself from Project 2025.

 

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[Oerdin]

Would not be surprised if it was someone even further to the right than Trump, seeing as how Alex Jones turned on him for trying to distance himself from Project 2025.

The guy was pretty clearly a deranged leftist as he left a video posted just before the assassination attempt declaring he hated Republicans and hated Trump.

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He also gave $15 to far left super pack Act Blue in September of 2021. He does seem to have registered as a Republican in 2022 but Pennsylvania has a closed primary so he was probably just trying to vote against Trumpist primary candidates which is a common left wing tactic in closed primary states. So given how he 1) Tried to assassinate Trump, 2) Declared his hatred of Republicans and Trump, and 3) Donated to a far left super pack... Preponderance of the evidence points to him being a LWNJ.

 

[jack]

He's registered as a Republican. he didn't declare anything to anyone, no one even knows who the fuck he is yet. Fucks wrong with you? Good old Weirdin. It's always a leftist, I guess "leftists" register as Republicans now and vote as such? Then go out and try to kill their candidate? Makes perfect sense to me. Just means that as usual you have no idea the bullshit you're spouting.

And no one gives a shit what his political affiliation is. Most of us are just sad he missed. Killed some unintended target and wounded two others.

Fuck the Secret service. People in the stands saw the guy crawling around on that roof, warned the cops and the fucker still got 5 shots off before he was "conveniently" taken out.

 

[Oerdin]

Ok, you are to stupid to watch the video he posted which I linked to. Let me know when you are able to actually absorb information and respond rationally.

 

[jack]

Oh so you edited your post, added the video and then accused me of not watching the video?

Typical right wing nutjob bullshit tactics from you. Go gaslight yourself, moron.

Kindly fuck off with your editing and the criticizing afterward. Guess that's how far righties work?

 

[Oerdin]

Just read it. The link with the video has always been there. Also there was no editing of my post. Your post got edited four minutes ago.

 

[jack]

Ok, you are to stupid to watch the video he posted which I linked to. Let me know when you are able to actually absorb information and respond rationally.

If I'm "to stupid" whatever that means, then you are "too stupid".

 

[jack]

Just read it. The link with the video has always been there.

Just suck it.

Just read it. The link with the video has always been there. Also there was no editing of my post. Your post got edited four minutes ago.

Like you just edited the above post? Kindly fuck off with your bullshit.

 

[jack]

Um, how does this prove he is a "leftist"?

You're a fucking moron.

 

[jack]

So...what about the Secret Service being alerted by the crowd there was a shooter on that building and doing nothing about it until after the shooter got off five rounds?

They must be leftists as well?

 

[jack]

Trump shooting victim identified as fire chief who shielded his daughters from bullets​

The tragic victim of the Donald Trump rally shooting has been identified. Corey Comperatore, a retired fire chief from Pennsylvania, sadly lost his life after gunfire erupted while Trump was in the middle of his speech in Buttler. Other rally attendees tried to save the life of Comperatore in the bleachers, but tragically he passed away after being hit by a bullet.

His sister wrote on Facebook: "The PA Trump Rally claimed the life of my brother, Corey Comperatore. "The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most. He was a hero that shielded his daughters.

"His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and unimaginable. My baby brother just turned 50 and had so much life left to experience. "Hatred has no limits and love has no bounds. Pray for my sister-in-law, nieces, my mother, sister, me and his nieces and nephews as this feels like a terrible nightmare but we know it is our painful reality."

An emergency room doctor at the rally revealed how he performed CPR on another attendee, who is presumed to be Comperatore. "I heard the shots. I thought it was firecrackers begin with. Somebody over there was screaming 'he's been shot he's been shot,'' said the man on CBS News. "So I made my way over. I said I'm an emergency department physician. Let me help you.

"The guy had spun around was jammed between the benches and a head shot here. There's lots of blood and he had brain matter."

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, has been identified as the shooter in the apparent assassination attempt of former President at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Investigators were working Sunday to gather more information about Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who opened fire at the rally before being killed by Secret Service - days before Trump was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time.

Trump was seen with blood dripping down the side of his ear as he was rushed off stage by Secret Service agents but is "fine".

 

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Portrait of alleged gunman in Trump assassination attempt begins to emerge​

A 20-year-old Pennsylvania man is suspected to be the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, firing several shots and killing at least one spectator, federal and local law enforcement agencies said. The FBI early on Sunday identified the suspect, who was killed at the scene, as Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park. The FBI did not "currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was," Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said. The highest priority is being placed on determining motive because the bureau is also looking at the shooting as a "potential domestic terrorism act," said Robert Wells, the FBI’s assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division. In a later call, Rojek indicated officials believed that Crooks "acted alone and that there are currently no public safety concerns." “At present, we have not identified an ideology associated with the subject, but I want to remind everyone that we're still very early in this investigation,” he added.

Crooks had been registered as a Republican voter, according to state records. He graduated from high school in Pennsylvania in 2022, district officials said. The suspect had no military affiliation, according to the Pentagon. He was working as a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, according to administrator Marcie Grimm. Thomas Matthew Crooks “performed his job without concern” and passed a background check, according to Grimm. "We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean," Grimm said in a statement. "We are fully cooperating with law enforcement officials at this time." The firearm recovered at the scene was legally purchased by the suspect's father, an urgent trace conducted by ATF found, according to multiple law enforcement sources. A source who has been briefed said the gun was an AR-15 style rifle that was purchased in 2013.

Crooks allegedly fired as many as eight rounds from a rooftop 200-300 yards away, other sources said. According to Rojek, from the FBI, there was a suspicious device found in the suspect's car and agents were trying to determine what it is. Another was found in his home, Rojek said, and both were described as rudimentary.

Crooks had no known history of mental illness, per the FBI. His family is cooperating with investigators.

“We're looking into his background, his day-to-day activities, any writings, and social media posts that might help us identify what led to this shooting. And we have not seen anything threatening,” Rojek added.

The social media platform Discord told ABC News on Sunday that it's cooperating with law enforcement and has identified a "rarely used" account that appears to have been linked to the alleged shooter. The company said it "found no evidence" that the account was used in the planning of the attack.

In a statement to ABC News, a Discord spokesperson said the account linked to the alleged shooter also did not "promote violence" or "discuss his political views."
Investigators are looking at what sources describe as misinformation that the suspected gunman appears to have been recently consuming and whether it played any role in the incident, according to law enforcement sources.

So far, investigators have not uncovered any ties to extremist organizations or individuals, though they continue to scour information from the suspect's phone and other digital devices, according to the sources. Increasingly, the shooting was looking like a lone wolf attack, sources said.

Former classmates of the suspected shooter described him to ABC News as a student who was "quiet" and did not have many friends,. "He was somebody who came across as lonely a lot," said Jameson Myers, who said he attended both elementary and high school with the suspect. Myers said that Crooks "tended to be more of an interesting one” and described him as "more socially reserved" and someone who "didn't have a ton of friends." But he said he never heard Crooks discuss politics or, specifically, Donald Trump. “I was friends with him- he never acted, like, by any means a political revolutionary,” Myers said, noting he was a fan of "Star Wars" and “was a very nice, even sweet guy from what I knew.”

Myers said that Crooks tried to join the high school's rifle team but was rejected and asked not to return. “He didn't just not make the team, he was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was, it was considered like, dangerous,” said Myers. Another member of the team, who asked not to be named, told ABC News that there was a view that Crooks "wasn't really fit for the rifle team."

"He also shot terrible," the team member added.

The coach of the team at the time declined to comment and referred questions to the school district. A spokesman for the schools did not reply.

Other classmates of Crooks, who described him as "quiet" and "very smart."

"One thing I did know for sure was he was very smart," said another student, who told ABC News he sat behind Crooks in their AP statistics class. "I always remember hearing his test grades when we would all compare and he always did very well and math and sciences." The student continued that Crooks was "never anything but kind." "I would not say that he ever appeared as a threatening person," he continued.

Another classmate, Zoe Materkowski, said he was “just a quiet kid.” A classmate who graduated a year before Crooks similarly described him as a quiet student. “He was a loner,” said Jason Kohler. “He would sit alone at lunch.” Another classmate who rode the same bus as Crooks and shared multiple classes with him described the suspected shooter as quiet but friendly. “I honestly can't think of a better word to describe him than normal,” said the classmate. “He just kind of stuck to himself.” The classmate added that Crooks was interested in building computers and never discussed politics. “It's just crazy, because he didn't really seem like he would be the type to think to do that,” he said about his response to learning that Crooks was the suspected shooter.

Shots rang out a few moments after Trump stepped onto an outdoor stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said. The suspect was firing from the roof of a building outside the security perimeter, taking aim from hundreds of feet away from the stage, law enforcement said. One of the bullets struck Trump in his right ear, the former president said. The U.S. Secret Service said Trump was "safe." A Secret Service counter-sniper opened fire and killed the suspect, the agency said. The scene was "chaotic" and "everything unfolded very quickly," Bevins said. Law enforcement officials took several hours to publicly identify Crooks as their suspect, saying at a press conference late Saturday that they believed they knew who carried out the shooting, but were refraining from naming the individual.

Officials had said during that press conference that they were using the suspect's DNA to confirm his identity, because the suspect had not been carrying anything that would have identified him.

"It's a matter of doing biometric confirmations," Rojek said. "So, there was no identification on the individual, for example, so we're looking at photographs right now and we're trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation."

It was too early in the investigation to say whether the suspect had been acting alone, Bivens said. Investigators were determining if anyone else had been involved, he said.

The FBI did not "currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was," Rojek said.

The suspect graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High, according to the Bethel Park School District. The district said it was limited in what it could disclose publicly, adding that it would "cooperate fully" with the investigation.

"The school district wishes to express its sincere wishes for a speedy and full recovery for Mr. Trump and for those in attendance at the Saturday event who may have been physically harmed or emotionally impacted by these tragic events," the district said, in part, in a statement.

The district added, "We offer special condolences to the family of at least one attendee who was killed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time."

As the FBI issued a statement early Sunday naming the suspect, a bureau spokesperson said the investigation remains "active and ongoing." The FBI urged anyone with photos, videos or information to come forward.

 

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The Trump Shooting Conspiracies Outpaced Reality​

“Joe Biden sent the orders” was the first thing Representative Mike Collins of Georgia posted following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump yesterday. To clarify that he was not being hyperbolic, Collins followed up by saying that Biden should be charged with “inciting an assassination.” Collins was one of the highest-profile people to boost a conspiracy theory almost immediately after a gunman fired eight shots during a Trump rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, yesterday afternoon—but he was far from the only one (and not even the sole member of Congress). Within moments of the shooting, some Trump supporters started speculating online about the Secret Service’s complicity. “To deny that something is fishy here is to be willfully blind,” one Instagram meme account with more than 800,000 followers posted in a caption underneath a picture of the grounds where the rally was held. “He was counter sniped within seconds of pulling the trigger. So Secret Service knew he was there.” Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump right after the shooting, publicly wondered whether the Secret Service made a “deliberate” choice to overlook security gaps.

Left-wing accounts posted their own “false flag” conspiracies. The now-famous photo of Trump surrounded by Secret Service agents, pumping his fist with small streaks of blood across his face, was simply too good to not have been staged, some people posted. Semafor reported that Dmitri Mehlhorn, a Democratic strategist, emailed journalists yesterday urging them to consider the possibility that the shooting was staged by the right to make Trump look good. (He later apologized.)

This is almost always how it goes now when something notable happens in the news: It becomes instant conspiracy fodder. Wildfires were actually started by massive laser beams. The rollout of 5G caused the pandemic. Kate Middleton’s extended absence from public appearances earlier this year was because of some sinister royal plot. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce aren’t actually dating—they’re doing a crossover marketing psyop to boost their profiles (and undermine Trump). These theories are obviously far less pernicious than ones demonizing migrants or falsely accusing people of trafficking children, but they speak to the same idea: Absolutely nothing is ever as it seems.

Online platforms such as Facebook and X have long been accelerants for baseless information and conspiracy theories, but these things aren’t just the product of an information crisis that can be resolved with education and by reining in social media. When conspiracy theories become the default logic for many Americans in understanding all major moments, they suggest a more fundamental breakdown.

In a system that doesn’t resolve social atomization or economic precarity, or mitigate the darkest impulses of technology companies, people will end up trying to make their own order amid intense disorder. It’s not surprising that solutions made inside a Russian nesting doll of messy conditions end up also being very messy. Conspiracy theories become the primary logic that begets more disorder, which begets more conspiracy theories. The cycle repeats itself.

 

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