(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The FBI has identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in the shooting at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The attack left one spectator dead, and two others critically injured, and caused widespread chaos at the event.
Officials confirmed that the suspect, Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service countersniper. “It’s a matter of doing biometric confirmations, 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,” FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said.
Initial indications suggest that Crooks acted alone, but the investigation is ongoing as authorities work to determine a motive. At a press conference late Saturday, officials noted the need for DNA testing as the suspect carried no identification. In a statement on Truth Social posted hours after the shooting, Trump described the harrowing moment: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.
I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, and shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.” Trump also expressed condolences to the family of the rallygoer who was killed. A spokesperson for Trump confirmed that he was checked out and is fine.
The shooting, which occurred on the eve of the Republican National Convention, is being investigated as an assassination attempt. Live rounds were reportedly fired from outside the security perimeter, according to officials briefed on the investigation. The FBI, overseen by the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the U.S. attorney’s office in Pittsburgh, is conducting the investigation amid a heightened threat environment.
The Secret Service issued a statement confirming that a shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” and agents “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased.” Law enforcement sources informed ABC News that Crooks fired as many as eight rounds from an AR-style rifle while positioned on a rooftop adjacent to the venue. He was 200-300 yards away at the time of the shooting.
This chilling development has cast a shadow over the upcoming Republican National Convention and heightened concerns about security at political events. Authorities continue to gather information and assess the implications of this violent incident on future gatherings.
