Donald Trump shooting: What happened and everything we know so far
In the wake of the attempted assassination on Donald Trump, there are urgent demands for an investigation into security failures. Here is what we know.
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In the aftermath of Donald Trump being injured in an attempted assassination at his Pennsylvania rally, there are urgent calls for a swift investigation into potential security oversights.
Secret Service agents rushed to assist the former president, swiftly escorting him into an armoured vehicle that drove him away from the scene.
Trump has since made a quick recovery and still plans on attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday (local time).
Here is everything we know so far.
WHAT HAPPENED TO DONALD TRUMP?
Donald Trump was just six minutes into his speech at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a volley of “pops” rang out.
He clutched at his right ear, glanced down at the blood on his hand, then dropped to the ground behind the podium as Secret Service agents swarmed the former president. The crowd screamed and those in the bleachers behind Trump ducked for cover.
Trump was held down by agents for about 25 seconds, until someone yelled “Shooter is down!”.
When Trump rose to his feet, his “Make America Great Again” baseball cap was no longer on his head and streaks of blood were visible on his face.
“Let me get my shoes. Let me get my shoes” Trump said, as agents helped him from the ground. Defiant, he pumped his fist towards the crowd, mouthing “fight!” as rally attendees began chanting “USA, USA”.
Trump was then bundled into a black SUV and taken to a nearby medical clinic.
WHO IS THE SHOOTER?
The FBI identified the shooter in the assassination attempt on the former president as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Pennsylvania.
“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,” the FBI said in a statement quoted by NBC and CBS.
Crooks was killed by the Secret Service.
He used an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle in the shooting that was reportedly purchased by his father, who said he was trying to find out “what the hell is going on”.
Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that materials used for making bombs had been found inside the vehicle of Thomas Crooks, which was reportedly parked near the campaign event, as well as at his home. This information was reported by The Wall Street Journal and by CNN.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS?
The New York Times reported new details about the shooter, including that he had no criminal history.
Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, fired shots — one of which grazed Trump in the ear — at an outdoor rally in Butler, just outside Pittsburgh. Sources said Crooks was planted on a roof of a manufacturing plant more than 100 metres away from the stage at Butler Farm Show grounds.
Crooks had donated to a Democratic Party super PAC in 2021 and later registered as a Republican voter. Former schoolmates described him as a loner.
WHAT WAS THE SHOOTER’S MOTIVE?
The motivation behind the attack is unclear.
Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh field office, said the grounds remained an “active crime scene”.
“We have a number of agents on scene. We do not currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” he said.
“We’re looking at photographs right now, and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation,” he said.
IS IT A LONE WOLF ATTACK?
Speaking at a press conference earlier, FBI Deputy Commissioner of Operations Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens said he would not rule out whether the gunman acted alone.
“I think it’s too early to say that we have one shooter tentatively identified, but we’re not stopping there,” he told reporters.
“We are absolutely not taking for granted that this was a lone wolf attack and so we would be looking at additional information that could point us to anyone else that may have had a hand in this.
“We’re following up on a lot of information. It will be some time until we can conclusively say or answer that question.”
Lieutenant Bivens said their greatest priority was identifying the motive and whether other parties were involved in the attack.
“I think once the shooter is identified anyone that has specific information on that shooter, that would be very helpful also,” he said.
WHERE WERE THE SECRET SERVICE AT THE TIME OF THE SHOOTING?
FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said it was “surprising” that the gunman was able to fire at the stage before he was killed.
Two former FBI agents spoke to CNN about security conditions at Trump’s rally, where Crooks fired shots at the former president on a nearby rooftop.
They expressed alarm that a vantage point so close to Trump – about 120-150 metres away – had not been secured.
“That building … is the closest building with a clear line of sight to where the stage was. I’m shocked that they didn’t have somebody on that roof,” former FBI field agent Bobby Chacon told CNN.
Steve Moore, a retired FBI agent and countersniper, said botched “planning or execution” may have left the roof unmonitored.
“They could have planned for that roof and maybe something happened in the planning or in the execution of the plan where it was left unguarded,” Moore told the US network, adding that there would likely be “drastic changes” to security protocol going forward.
“The Secret Service has to be right every single time, every single rally of every single candidate of every single month, every single year, they’ve got to be perfect,” Moore said.
WHY DID THEY NOT STOP TRUMP FROM BEING TARGETED?
The Secret Service is probing how the gunman armed with an AR-style rifle managed to approach and injure former Trump during the rally, highlighting a significant failure in one of the agency’s core responsibilities.
DID THE SECRET SERVICE FAIL IN ITS DUTY?
Police won’t comment if there was any failure of Secret Service to act.
“There is an active investigation. A lot of things need to occur …. to make those determinations of what if any failures there were. We can’t comment on that at this time.”
“The Secret Service wasn’t available for the press conference at this time.”
WILL THERE BE AN INQUIRY INTO THIS INCIDENT BY MEMBERS OF THE US GOVERNMENT?
Calls for an investigation came from all sides.
Kentucky Republican James Comer, who is the House Oversight Committee chairman, said he reached out to the Service Service for a briefing and called on Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing.
Mr Comer said his committee will send a formal invitation soon.
“Political violence in all forms is unamerican and unacceptable. There are many questions and Americans demand answers,” he said in a statement.
New York Democrat Ritchie Torres also called for an investigation into the “security failures” at the rally.
“The federal government must constantly learn from security failures in order to avoid repeating them, especially when those failures have implications for the nation,” Mr Torres said.
Wisconsin Democrat Tony Evers posted on X that he and his staff are in contact with security planning co-ordinators ahead of the Republican National Convention set to begin Monday in Milwaukee.
“We cannot be a country that accepts political violence of any kind — that is not who we are as Americans,” he said.
The FBI said it will lead the investigation into the shooting, working with the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement.
HOW IS DONALD TRUMP NOW?
Hours after the shooting, Trump’s campaign sent out an email to supporters seeking donations.
It included a message from the former president which said: “I will never surrender!”
Trump was also seen walking off his plane unaided hours after surviving an assassination bid, in a video posted by his deputy communications director on social media.
Trump, in a navy suit and white shirt without a tie, can be seen descending a staircase from his plane as an armed agent stands guard, in the video posted by Margo Martin on X. His right ear, which was injured in the attempt, cannot be seen in the footage.
Strong and resilient. He will never stop fighting for America. pic.twitter.com/B9yR3SLQJV
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) July 14, 2024
WHERE WAS MELANIA?
Melania Trump broke her silence in the wake of her husband’s attempted assassination.
The 54-year-old initially made no public comment on the day of the shooting, like his children Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka, who promptly posted messages of support for their dad on X, formerly known as Twitter.
But a day later, the former First Lady put out a lengthy statement condemning the “monster” and calling on all Americans to come together.
“America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered,” wrote the former US First Lady in an extended statement, “but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.”
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realised my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change.”
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) July 14, 2024
WHEN IS DONALD TRUMP’S NEXT PUBLIC EVENT?
Trump’s campaign said the former president still plans to attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
His campaign said in a statement, “As was communicated earlier this evening, President Trump is doing well and grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their fast action.
“ President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States. As our party’s nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again.”
WHAT HAS JOE BIDEN SAID ABOUT THE SHOOTING?
US President Joe Biden spoke to Donald Trump about the assassination attempt.
At an emergency press conference earlier, he said the attack was “sick”.
“That’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country,” he said.
“You cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
WHEN IS BIDEN’S NEXT PUBLIC EVENT?
The President has no public events scheduled at this point.
WHAT HAS THE SHOOTING DONE IN RAISING THE ISSUE OF GUN VIOLENCE?
Gun control could become an election issue following the attempted assassination of Trump, despite the former president promising to reverse gun restrictions put in place by Joe Biden’s administration if he gets elected.
Northeastern University professor of criminology, law and public policy, James Alan Fox, said like with the attempt on Ronald Reagan’s life and the shooting of multiple people at a Republican meeting in 2011, this latest incident will make gun violence a “major issue” in the campaign.
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