Here’s what we know about the Pennsylvania shooting that injured former president Donald Trump on Saturday.
Where did it happen?
The shooting took place in a presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvaniaa city in the western part of the state, about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh.
What happened?
About six minutes into Trump’s speech, the former president could be seen holding his ear after popping noises echoed through the rally. Trump fell to the ground as several Secret Service agents rushed the stage and surrounded him on all sides. Screams from spectators echoed as the scene unfolded.
About a minute later, agents helped Trump off the ground and to his feet. He raised his fist to the crowd, eliciting applause from fans. Several agents took him off stage and escorted him to a vehicle.
Blood could be seen on Trump’s ear and the side of his face. Later he said on his social media site, Truth Social, that “a bullet pierced the top of my right ear.”
Trump was talking about President Joe Bidenimmigration policies when shots were fired.
Is Trump alive?
Trump is safe, one Secret Service spokesperson wrote on Xand is expected to survive.
Someone got hurt?
Witnesses described hearing loud pops, with one person saying that I saw someone who got shot in the back of the head and someone else who said she saw someone “bleeding profusely.”
One bystander died and two others were seriously injured, said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police.
All three are men, he said, adding that authorities have identified the victims but are not releasing their identities at this time.
None of the injured included police officers, Bivens said.
Other injuries were reported in the chaos that unfolded.
Representative. Ronnie Jackson, R-Texas, said in a statement that his nephew was injured in the shooting. Jackson said his family was sitting near Trump and that after hearing gunshots, his nephew realized something had grazed and cut his neck.
He said his nephew’s injury was not serious and “he is fine.”
Was it an assassination attempt? Which agencies are investigating?
Authorities are investigating the incident as an attempted murder.
“Tonight, we had what we call an assassination attempt on our former president, Donald Trump,” said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.
The FBI said it is leading the investigation and that special agents from its field office in Pittsburgh responded immediately. They are working alongside the US Secret Service and state and local authorities.
“We will continue to support this investigation with the full resources of the FBI, along with our partners at the U.S. Secret Service and state and local law enforcement,” the FBI said. said in a statement. “Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to call our tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
The House of Representatives will also investigate the shooting, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., previously said his committee would be investigating.
Who is the shooter? What was the reason?
The shooter is dead, Secret Service confirmed in X. The FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
It was not known whether the shooter acted alone or in coordination with others. It is not known what the shooter’s motive was.
“We currently do not have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to try to identify what that motive was,” Rojek said.
There appears to be no evidence currently that the shooting had any connection to a foreign actor, according to a U.S. official.
Where was the shooter? Did the shooter get past security?
Shots were fired from outside the security perimeter established by the Secret Service, three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.
Bivens, a lieutenant colonel with the Pennsylvania State Police, said the building where the shooter was located was located “some distance” from the security perimeter.
The information clarifies whether and how a shooter could have passed a firearm through the security and weapon detection magnetometers at the rally. It appears the shooter did not.
The shooter appears to be on a nearby rooftop.
What have we heard from Trump?
Trump posted about the incident on Truth Social.
“I was hit by a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately something was wrong as I heard a buzzing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet tearing through the skin. There was a lot of bleeding, then I realized what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” he wrote.
He expressed gratitude to the Secret Service and authorities for their quick response. He added: “Most importantly I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person who died at the Rally and also to the family of another person who was seriously injured.”
“It is incredible that such an act could happen in our country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead,” he wrote.
What have we heard from Trump’s family?
Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, condemned the attack on a statement about X, thanking people for their prayers. “I am grateful to the Secret Service and all other law enforcement officials for their quick and decisive actions today,” she wrote. “I continue to pray for our country.”
“I love you, dad, today and always,” she added.
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said in a statement through his spokesman that he spoke with his father by phone and was in “very good spirits.” “He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him,” Trump Jr. said.
Their brother, Eric Trump tweeted a photo of his father raising his fist in the air after the shooting. “This is the fighter America needs!” the post read.
Did Biden respond?
Biden said he spoke to Trump following the shooting, as well as with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy.
The president first spoke to reporters about the shooting in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, about 90 minutes after it occurred.
“It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” he said. “We can’t tolerate it.”
Biden said it looked like Trump was fine. Asked by a reporter if he believed the scene was an assassination attempt, Biden said: “I have an opinion, but I don’t have all the facts.”
Biden added that he wanted more information before commenting further.
The president learned of the shooting as he left a Catholic mass he was attending in Delaware, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The campaign has been suspended, an official said. The campaign will “pause all external communications and work to remove our television ads as quickly as possible,” the official said.
The president is returning to Washington and expects to receive updated briefings from the Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement authorities on Sunday morning.
Will Trump still be at the Republican National Convention?
The Republican National Convention — where Trump and his vice presidential pick will be officially nominated as the party’s candidates — is scheduled to take place in Milwaukee Monday through Thursday.
Before Saturday’s shooting, Trump was expected to pick his running mate in the coming days and give an acceptance speech on Thursday night.
The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee said in a joint statement the following Saturday, the former president “looks forward to joining all of you in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th president of the United States.”
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
