The assassination attempt on former President Trump shook the political world.
Trump was left bloodied at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday after he said a bullet hit his ear and that another attendee as well as the shooter were killed. The incident raised questions about security protocols and the shooter’s motives, and occurred just days before thousands of people descended on Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Republican National Convention.
Here’s what we know about the shooting.
Trump was shot at a campaign rally on Saturday
The former president held a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, a city about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.
He had been on stage for less than 10 minutes when a series of pops sounded. Trump grabbed his ear and neck as Secret Service agents stormed the stage. As officers helped him to his feet, Trump punched the crowd. His campaign and family said shortly afterward that he was doing well.
Trump posted on Truth Social about two and a half hours after the shooting, confirming that he was shot in the ear.
“I was hit by a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I immediately knew something was wrong as I heard a buzzing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet tearing through my skin,” he posted. “There was a lot of bleeding, then I realized what was happening. GOD BLESS THE AMERICA!”
Authorities called it an assassination attempt
Law enforcement officials who briefed reporters Saturday night described the incident as “an assassination attempt against our former president, Donald Trump.”
Another participant is dead
One rally attendee was killed in the shooting. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) identified the victim as Corey Comperatore, a former area fire chief who the governor said “died a hero” protecting his family.
Trump, President Biden and several lawmakers expressed their condolences to the victim’s family.
Two others were injured, authorities said. A GoFundMe for the victims of the shooting, which Trump advisers shared on social media, had raised more than $2.5 million by early Sunday evening.
The shooter has been identified and the investigation is ongoing
Police identified the alleged shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Crooks opened fire from a rooftop near the rally site before being shot by the Secret Service. The Associated Press reported that explosive materials were found in Crooks’ car near the rally and at his home.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told the Associated Press on Sunday that Crooks was not previously known to area investigators.
Authorities are still working to determine a possible motive for the shooting.
A senior FBI official said during a Sunday briefing that the agency is also looking at the shooting as a “potential” act of domestic terrorism. The FBI believes he acted alone.
Authorities said the weapon recovered during the shooting was “a 556-style AR rifle, which was acquired legally.” Authorities said they believe the gun was purchased by the alleged shooter’s father.
Secret Service is under scrutiny
Lawmakers are scrutinizing the Secret Service over its protocols for the rally, questioning how an armed man could climb to a rooftop with a clear line of sight to the former president.
Congressional Republicans arepromising investigationsand at least one hearing into the rally shooting.
“The American people deserve to know the truth. We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate DHS and FBI officials appear for a hearing before our committees as soon as possible,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) posted on X.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) quickly requested that Cheatle testify at a hearing into the July 22 shooting. The House Homeland Security Committee also said in a post on X that it has been in contact with the Secret Service and requested an official briefing for its members.
Former Secret Service officials spoke after the rally about the challenges of securing a large outdoor event.
But rally attendees also gave interviews about alerting authorities to a man climbing to the top of the roof of a nearby building. The Associated Press reported that a police officer went up to the roof and encountered the shooter, but the officer retreated down the stairs after the suspect pointed a rifle at him.
Biden spoke to Trump and ordered a security review
Biden has been regularly briefed by top federal officials since the shooting occurred Saturday night. The president has spoken on camera several times, including a planned Oval Office address to the nation on Sunday night.
Biden said he had a “short but good” conversation with Trump on Saturday night over the phone.
The president called for unity and condemned the shooting as un-American. He also said he instructed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures surrounding this week’s Republican National Convention, and ordered an independent review of national security at Saturday’s rally “to assess exactly what happened.”
A Secret Service spokesman Saturdaycalled itIt is “absolutely false” that a request for additional security resources from Trump’s team was rejected, saying the agency recently added protective resources and capabilities.
The RNC is moving forward as planned with Trump in attendance
The Republican National Convention is scheduled to take place Monday through Thursday in Milwaukee, and the event is proceeding as planned with no changes to the schedule.
Trump posted on Truth Social that he would delay his trip to Wisconsin by two days because of the shooting, but instead decided to leave on Sunday afternoon because: “I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential killer, to force change in programming, or anything else.”
Trump campaign leadership said in a memo to staff Sunday that the Republican Party convention “will continue as planned in Milwaukee, where we will nominate our President to be our Party’s bold and fearless nominee.”
Trump will formally accept the nomination on Thursday night. He is also expected to name his running mate during the convention, likely on Monday.
The Secret Service official coordinating efforts at the RNC said in a briefing Sunday that he did not plan to change the security plan for the event in light of the assassination attempt.
“We are confident in the safety plans for this event and we are ready to go,” Audrey Gibson-Cicchino said at a press conference. “It was an 18-month process. We have worked together over these 18 months to develop operational security plans for any and all security aspects related to this event.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
