At a rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, local police officers encountered a gunman on a nearby roof but retreated down a ladder after the gunman pointed a rifle at the officers, police officials said. He told the Associated Press.
Protesters noticed a man climbing onto the roof of a nearby building shortly before gunshots rang out and called local police, officials said, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press said its analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos from the scene of Trump’s rally showed the gunman was able to get surprisingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking.
The outlet said a local police officer climbed onto the roof and encountered the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, who pointed a rifle at the officer, who then climbed down the ladder and “quickly fired shots at Mr. Trump,” the outlet said. The Associated Press, citing an official who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, said a Secret Service sniper then shot the gunman.
Crooks, 20, was shot and killed. CBS News, citing multiple law enforcement sources, report The gunman, armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, reportedly opened fire from the roof of a shed outside the sealed-off rally area. Trump, who was seen on video bleeding from his right ear after shots rang out, survived the shooting and was taken away by Secret Service agents.
The gunman seriously injured two attendees and shot and killed one, identified as Corey Comperator, a husband, father and devout Christian.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said Comperator “was a father to my daughter. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. And most of all, Corey loved his family.” Comperator’s wife told Shapiro that her husband “jumped in to protect our family at the rally last night.”
“Corey was the best of us,” Shapiro said. “May his memory be a blessing.”
More from the Associated Press:
An Associated Press review of more than a dozen videos and photos taken from the Trump rally site, as well as satellite imagery of the area, showed that the shooter Amazingly close To the stage where the former president was speaking.
Video footage located by The Associated Press and posted to social media showed a body lying motionless on the roof of AGR International, a manufacturing plant just north of the Butler Farm Show where Trump’s rally was held.
The rooftop where the person was lying was within 150 meters (164 yards) of where Trump was speaking, a distance at which a skilled marksman could successfully hit a human-sized target and, by comparison, the distance at which U.S. Army recruits must shoot a human-sized silhouette to be qualified with an M-16 rifle. The AR-15 used by the Trump rally gunman is a semi-automatic civilian version of the military M-16.
The Associated Press reported that while some suspect that Colonel Crooks may have military experience based on his shooting stance and attire, all branches of the U.S. military have said that Colonel Crooks has no military record.
What else do we know?
Crooks had explosives in his car and at home. CNN reported:Citing law enforcement sources, Crooks’ father purchased the gun Crooks used, The Wall Street Journal reported.This was said by a person familiar with the investigation.
Reuters Crooks’ father, 53-year-old Matthew Crooks, told CNN he was still trying to figure out what happened and would not talk about his son until he had spoken with police.
Fox News cited the voting records, report Crooks is a registered Republican, he added, and only participated in the Nov. 8, 2022 state election because of his age. Reuters, citing a 2021 Federal Election Commission filing, added that when he was 17, Crooks donated $15 to ActBlue, a “political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians.” The news agency added that the donation was for the Progressive Turnout Project, a national group that encourages Democrats to vote. Reuters reported that the groups did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
More from Fox News:
Crooks is a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School and was one of nearly 20 students from the school to receive a $500 “STAR Award” from the National Math and Science Initiative.
An online recording of the graduation ceremony shows him taking to the stage to faint applause and briefly posing with school officials. The New York Times reported..
A Fox News Digital investigation found that Crooks turned 21 in September. He had no reported criminal or traffic violations, and no bankruptcies, liens or foreclosures.
“At this time, a motive has not been determined,” FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said at a press conference late Saturday night. CBS News.
Law enforcement officials said early Sunday that there were no known foreign terrorism links so far, the suspect was not under law enforcement surveillance and authorities were still searching for the suspect’s name, CBS News reported.
The FBI statement about Crooks also said, “The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to submit photos or videos online at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
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