The gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday was not affiliated with any military branch, the Pentagon confirmed Monday.
“We have confirmed with each of the branches of military service that there is no military service affiliation for the suspect with this name or date of birth in any active branch or reserve component in their respective databases,” said Deputy Press Secretary , Sabrina Singh, to reporters.
She added that the Defense Department does not plan to make any changes to its force posture following the shooting.
Authorities identified the alleged shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a small suburb of Pittsburgh. Investigators believe Crooks, using an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, opened fire on the former president as he spoke to a crowd of supporters in Butler. A bullet grazed Trump’s ear, one audience member was killed and two others were injured.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a statement Sunday in which he said the DOD “condemns this violence, which has absolutely no place in our democracy. That’s not how we resolve our differences in America – and it never should be.”
Since then, the Secret Service has faced intense criticism over how Crooks managed to get so close to Trump, with GOP lawmakers promising congressional investigations into the shooting. President Biden also directed an independent review of the rally’s security.
The incident also raised event security concerns surrounding the Republican National Convention, which began Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Singh said approximately 1,700 National Guard members and a small number of active-duty personnel will provide support to civil authorities through Friday, but the numbers were pre-planned and were “not in response to the events that occurred this weekend.”
Guardsmen from Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota will provide civil support, explosive ordnance disposal and security, and any other requirements to assist the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and Milwaukee Metropolitan Police Department.
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