The FBI has identified a suspect in a shooting at former President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The FBI said in a statement obtained by The Hill that the suspect in what authorities are calling an attempted assassination of President Trump is Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, age 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as a suspect in connection to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. The investigation remains ongoing,” the FBI said in a statement.
A shooting occurred at a rally for President Donald Trump in Butler on Saturday evening, with the former president saying a bullet pierced his ear. The shooter and one spectator at the rally were killed and two other attendees were seriously injured, according to the Secret Service.
As shots rang out at the rally, Trump appeared to slump behind the podium, clutching his ears, as Secret Service agents swarmed over him. When he stood up, they surrounded him, and he pumped his fist into the crowd as he was escorted off the stage. Blood was visible on his ears and face.
At a press conference late Saturday night, Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Pittsburgh, said authorities have not yet determined a motive for the shooting.
“At this time, a motive has not been determined, but investigators are working diligently to determine what the motive may have been,” Rojek said.
Saturday Night Trump Authentic Social Posts The president thanked the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies for their “swift response to this shooting” and offered his condolences to the families of those killed and injured.
“I can’t believe this kind of behaviour would happen in our country,” he added.
