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Trump rally gunman fired eight shots in under six seconds before he was killed, analysis shows
The gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania fired eight bullets in under six seconds before he was shot and killed by a U.S. Secret Service sniper, according to an analysis of footage from the event by two audio experts, video analysis by CBS News and sworn statements from Pennsylvania State Police.
The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed one rally attendee and injured two others when he opened fire from a roof near the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. A bullet also grazed Trump’s ear, creating a 2 cm-wide wound, according to Rep. Ronny Jackson, Trump’s former White House physician.
Evan Vucci / AP
In testimony on Tuesday at a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing about the assassination attempt, Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher L. Paris told lawmakers that eight casings were recovered from the gunman’s location.
Video and audio analysis from the shooting indicates the gunman fired eight shots. Audio experts Rob Maher of Montana State University and Steven Beck of Beck Audio Forensics told CBS News they identified 10 gunshots from the recordings of the event. The first eight rounds had similar acoustic characteristics and originated from the same location. Beck said these eight discharges, fired in approximately 5.2 seconds, were consistent with the AR-15-style rifle the shooter used.
The final two gunshots were likely from law enforcement and came from two different firearms in two different locations, the audio analysis indicates. The first of these two gunshots was fired approximately 5.5 seconds after the gunman opened fire, Beck said. The gunman stopped firing immediately, indicating this bullet hit him. A final shot was fired 10 seconds later.
CBS News analysis of social media footage showed that one of the rally attendee injured in the shooting, David Dutch, fell to the floor of the bleachers after the second gunshot was fired. Another injured attendee, James Copenhaver, fell to the ground as the fourth to eighth gunshot was fired. This indicates all eight shots were fired into the crowd.
Cory Comperatore, a 50-year-old retired fire chief, was killed while attempting to shield his family from the gunfire, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news conference following the shooting.
On Tuesday, Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her position as director of the U.S. Secret Service after facing a bipartisan grilling on Capitol Hill on Monday. President Biden thanked Cheatle for her decades of public service in a White House statement.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has appointed Ronald Rowe, deputy director of the Secret Service, to serve as the acting director until a permanent replacement is chosen.
Several investigations into the circumstances surrounding the shooting are underway. In addition to the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general has opened two probes to evaluate the Secret Service’s process for securing an event and determine the preparedness level of the agency’s Counter Sniper Team to respond to threats. Officials said the inspector general may decide to open additional investigations as well.
Mr. Biden has also ordered an independent review of the rally’s security situation to determine what went wrong.
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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