Explosives discovered in Trump shooter’s car as family mourns heroic victim killed in attack
Donald Trump says ‘God alone’ saved him from shooter, who had explosives stashed away. Joe Biden to deliver rare address to the nation as victim revealed as hero fire chief.
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Explosive devices have been discovered in the car and residence of the gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump, as law enforcement agencies feverishly try to identify his motive for the attempted assassination.
Speaking after an intelligence briefing, President Joe Biden announced a security review of the Republican National Convention and revealed his phone conversation with his predecessor in the aftermath of the shooting; saying he’s “sincerely grateful” for Mr Trump’s survival.
Mr Biden, who ordered increased security measures for Mr Trump, will speak again on the attempted assassination in a rare address to the nation from the Oval Office at 10am AEST.
Mr Trump said it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening” as he vowed to be “defiant in the face of wickedness” on the eve of this week’s Republican convention, where he will be confirmed as the party’s nominee for November’s election.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka said her mother Ivana was “watching over Dad” during the terrifying attack at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, while his wife Melania broke her silence to call on the United States to “ascend above the hate”.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old sniper, killed a Pennsylvania volunteer fire chief when he opened fire on Trump before he was gunned down by Secret Service agents.
A bullet hit Trump’s ear while he was speaking, before he was rushed from the stage while defiantly pumping his fist and telling his supporters to “fight, fight”.
The victim was named as 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, with his wife revealing how he heroically dived on his family in the bleachers to protect them as the gunshots rang out.
In the aftermath of the shooting, bomb technicians identified explosive devices in Crooks’s car, after police received reports of suspicious packages in the area. A third explosive device was found at his home.
Law enforcement sources told CNN that the Secret Service was made aware of Crooks acting suspiciously on the outskirts of the rally, sharpening questions about why he was not contained before climbing on the roof of a building and opening fire.
Trump, in a statement on his social media platform, confirmed he would speak at the Republican convention in Milwaukee.
“I truly love our country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our great nation this week from Wisconsin,” he said.
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united, and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined, and not allowing evil to win.”
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. He used an AR-15-style semi-automatic 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”.
TWO INJURED VICTIMS ‘STABLE’
The conditions of two people injured in the shooting have been upgraded to “stable”.
David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, were in a critical condition in the immediate aftermath of the attempted assassination.
Another victim, Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, was killed.
JOE BIDEN TO ADDRESS THE NATION
President Joe Biden will deliver a rare “address to the nation” from the Oval Office at 10am AEST to speak at “greater length” and provide more detail on the attempted assassination.
“We must unite as one nation, we must unite as one nation to demonstrate who we are,” Mr Biden said in short remarks at the White House.
“An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation,” he added while flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.’
“Unity is the most elusive goal of all. Nothing is more important than that than now,” he added.
BIDEN REVEALS CALL WITH TRUMP
Biden revealed he spoke to former President Trump on Saturday night (local time) in the hours after the shooting.
“I’m sincerely grateful that he’s doing well and recovering. We had a short but good conversation,” Mr Biden said from the Roosevelt Room.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence or any kind of violence for that matter. An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. Everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not America. We cannot allow this to happen.”
BIDEN URGES ‘SWIFT’ INVESTIGATION
Biden said he instructed the FBI to be “thorough and swift” in its investigation.
Speaking after a briefing by Homeland Security, the FBI, the Secret Service and the National Security Agency, Mr Biden said they “don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter”.
“We know who he is. I urge everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives of affiliations and their partner agencies do their job,” Mr Biden said.
“The investigators will have every resource they need to get this done.”
BIDEN ORDERS RNC SECURITY REVIEW
Mr Biden has directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures for the Republican National Convention beginning in Milwaukee tomorrow.
He also ordered an independent review of national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened.
“Mr Trump as a former president and nominee of the Republican Party already receives a heightened level of security,” Mr Biden said.
“And I’ve been consistent in my direction to the Secret Service to provide him with every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety.”
BIDEN HONOURS VICTIM
Biden praised the hero victim who died while protecting his family during the attempted assassination of Mr Trump.
“We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed,” Mr Biden said.
“He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired and he lost his life. God love him.”
Corey Comperatore, 50, died shielding his family in the bleachers as gunshots rang out.
BRAVE SHOOTING VICTIM SAVED FAMILY
Dawn Comperatore Schafer, the sister of the man killed in the attack, said Mr Comperatore had “so much life left to experience”.
“The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most,” she said in a post on Facebook.
“He was a hero that shielded his daughters. His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and unimaginable.”
“Hatred has no limits and love has no bounds … This feels like a terrible nightmare but we know it is our painful reality.”
His daughter Allyson said he was “the best dad a girl could ever ask for”.
She said he threw her and her mother to the ground and “shielded my body from the bullet that came at us”.
“He loved his family. He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us,” she said on Facebook.
“I want nothing more than to wake up and for this not to be reality for me and my family.”
Mr Comperatore’s wife Helen added: “He died the hero he always was.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said Mr Comperatore was an avid supporter of Trump who loved his family and his community.
EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN SUSPECT’S HOME, CAR
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.
IVANKA TRUMP: ‘MUM WAS WATCHING OVER DAD’
Former first daughter Ivanka Trump says her mum Ivana was “watching over Dad” when he survived an assassination attempt Saturday night as she noted it occurred on the second anniversary of her mother’s death.
“Two years ago today, my mom passed away. I believe she was watching over Dad last night during the attempt on his life,” Ivanka wrote on social media about her mother Ivana, who died aged 73 on 14 July, 2022.
Donald Trump shooting: Melania breaks silence with impassioned statement
GUNMAN MOVED FROM ‘ROOF TO ROOF’: WITNESS
An attendee at Donald Trump’s Butler rally has revealed how he saw the shooter move from “roof to roof” before the former US president was shot.
Ben Macer said he saw the gunman on a rooftop about “200 to 250 yards” (180m to 225m) away from where Trump was on stage.
“[I] saw the guy move from roof to roof. [I] told an officer [the alleged shooter] was on the roof,” Mr Macer told news outlet KDKA-TV.
“When I turned around to go back to where I was, it was when the gunshots started, and then it was just chaos, and we all came running away, and that was that.”
FBI SWARM HOME OF SHOOTER
USA Today reported that numerous law enforcement vehicles were stationed at a residence listed as Crooks’s address on his voter registration record, accompanied by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and a bomb squad on-site.
Crooks’s father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN he was trying to make sense of what happened and would wait until he spoke to law enforcement before commenting on his son.
The FBI has said it was working to determine a motive for the attack.
ONE RALLY ATTENDEE DEAD, TWO CRITICAL
Amid serious questions about the failure of authorities to spot Crooks, with eyewitnesses claiming they pointed him out to police before the attack, Trump’s Republican allies immediately launched a congressional probe on top of multiple criminal investigations.
Three men in the crowd behind Trump were shot, with one dying at the scene and two suffering critical injuries.
SHOOTER’S MOTIVE UNKNOWN: FBI
FBI special agent in charge Kevin Rojek confirmed the “heinous act” was being treated as an attempted assassination, although he said in a late-night press conference that authorities “do not currently have an identified motive”.
Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens said there were several “suspicious occurrences” at the rally, and while it was “too early” to say if the shooter was a lone wolf, authorities had “no reason to believe there is any other existing threat”.
Police were also investigating what they said were suspicious packages near the shooter.
BIDEN REACTS TO SHOOTING
US President Joe Biden lamented the “sick” attack, saying that there was “no place for this kind of violence in America”, before he rushed back to the White House for briefings and spoke to his political rival over the phone.
“You cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this,” he said.
TRUMP SUPPORTERS BLAME BIDEN
But Trump’s furious supporters blamed Mr Biden and the Democrats for fuelling the attack with their fiery rhetoric about the controversial Republican during the bitter election race.
$268K RAISED BY TRUMP SUPPORTERS
A GoFundMe page authorised by the former president to help supporters and families affected by the rally in Pennsylvania has raised over A$268,000.
Since its launch, the page overseen by Trump’s campaign’s national finance director Meredith O’Rourke, has garnered over 2000 donations.
“President Donald Trump has authorised this account as a place for donations to the supporters and families wounded or killed in today’s brutal and horrific assassination attempt,” the GoFundMe reads.
“All donations will be directed to these proud Americans as they grieve and recover. May God bless and unite our nation.”
TRUMP SHOOTING MERCH FOR SALE
The now viral photo of Trump lifting his fist into the air, with blood smeared on his face, following his attempted assassination has been used on merchandise.
US businesses have been promoting the sale of T-shirts, complete with words he shouted after the gunman was shot dead: “Fight! Fight”.
100% of profits from this shirt go to Trump’s campaignhttps://t.co/AUeoyZ6XPTpic.twitter.com/eS18aZNl2o
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) July 13, 2024
Content creators the Hodge Twins shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, of the Donald Trump “Fight! Fight! Fight! T-shirt, saying ”100 per cent of the profits from the shirt go to Trump’s campaign”.
Some other shirts have used a similar image with the words: “If you come at the king, you best not mess”.
IVANKA CONDEMNS ‘SENSELESS VIOLENCE’
Trump’s daughter Ivanka condemned the “senseless violence”, while his son Donald Jr said he was in “great spirits” while he was treated at a local hospital.
“He’ll never stop fighting to save America,” he said.
The 78 year old, in a statement on his social media platform, said that he “knew immediately that something was wrong” as gunshots rang out during his speech.
“Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening,” Trump said.
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service, and all of law enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting … Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.”
POLICE WERE TOLD OF GUNMAN ‘BEAR-CRAWLING’ ON ROOF: EYEWITNESS
FBI special agent Mr Rojek admitted it was “surprising” that the shooter was able to fire multiple shots, saying that the FBI believed authorities only knew he was there when the attack began.
But eyewitness Greg told the BBC he alerted police to the gunman “bear-crawling” on the roof of the building several minutes before Trump and his supporters were shot.
SECRET SERVICE ‘NEUTRALISED’ THE SHOOTER
Secret Service chiefs did not attend the late-night press conference about the attack, only releasing a statement which said its agents “quickly responded with protective measures”.
“US Secret Service personnel neutralised the shooter, who is now deceased,” spokesman Anthony Gugliemi said.
“The former president is safe and being evaluated.”
Trump was later seen walking unassisted off his plane in New Jersey, 36 hours before the start of the Republican Party’s convention in Milwaukee.
- With AFP
Originally published as Explosives discovered in Trump shooter’s car as family mourns heroic victim killed in attack
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