According to the Associated Press, local police officers encountered the man suspected of shooting former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, just before a bullet grazed the former president’s ear.
The Associated Press reported that attendees at the former president’s rally noticed a man on the roof of a nearby building and called local law enforcement, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Officers then climbed onto the roof and encountered 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who pointed a rifle at the officers, according to the Associated Press. When the officers climbed down the ladder, Crooks “immediately opened fire on Trump,” the AP reported.
At that moment, a U.S. Secret Service counter-sniper opened fire on Crooks, killing him, according to the Associated Press.
Since President Trump was shot on Saturday, questions have been circulating among media pundits and officials about how a gunman was in a position to target the former president.
The FBI said it was investigating the shooting as a possible act of domestic terrorism, but the suspect’s motive remains unclear.
The FBI said they believe Crooks, who was carrying bomb-making materials in a car en route to the rally, acted alone. Investigators have not found any threatening comments or ideological stances on his social media accounts that would help explain why he targeted Trump, The Associated Press reported.
The Associated Press contributed.
