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Trump shot at rally in failed assassination attempt. Here’s everything we know so far.
Former President Donald Trump was shot and injured in an assassination attempt on Saturday night that also killed a spectator and critically injured two others. Snipers killed the shooter, a 20-year-old man, after he fired eight rounds at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The former president could be seen touching his ear as the shooting unfolded before he was shielded by Secret Service and whisked offstage — with blood on his face — and into an SUV to safety. Trump said in a social media post that a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he said. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images
The Secret Service later said Trump was safe, and that he went to a local hospital and left hours later.
The gunman was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper, authorities said.
Who shot Donald Trump?
The FBI identified the shooter early Sunday as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The town in Allegheny County, just outside Pittsburgh, is home to about 30,000 people.
Law enforcement officials say he was armed with a semiautomatic AR-style rifle. Two law enforcement sources say the gun was legally purchased by and registered to the shooter’s father, Matthew Crooks.
Crooks was a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School School officials pledged to work with law enforcement investigating the shooting, and offered condolences to those affected by the attack.
Former classmate Jameson Myers, a member of the school’s varsity rifle team, told CBS News that Crooks had tried out for the team freshman year but did not make the junior varsity roster and did not return to try out for the team in subsequent years.
He called Crooks a “nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone,” adding, “I never have thought him capable of anything I’ve seen him do in the last few days.”
Another classmate, Jason Koehler, had a somewhat different view, telling KDKA’s Megan Schiller that Crooks was a loner who was bullied for his appearance and wore camo/hunting outfits in class. He said Crooks would often sit in the cafeteria alone before class. He also said Crooks was very COVID-conscious and wore a surgical mask long after they were required.
But Mark Sigafoos, who graduated with Crooks and had two classes with him senior year, said he never saw him bullied. He described Crooks as super smart and approachable, engaged in class and always volunteering answers.
“This is one of the things that is being misconstrued — he was not some type of loner trenchcoat wearer. And I will say he was definitely nerdy, for sure, but he never gave off that he was creepy or like a school shooter,” Sigafoos said. “He seemed like he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Crooks’ political leanings were not immediately clear. Records show he was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania but previously made a $15 donation to a Democratic-aligned group.
There was no indication that Crooks had a connection to any military branch, officials confirmed to CBS News.
A law enforcement official said early Sunday that the Secret Service and the FBI are investigating the suspect’s background and speaking with his family. The FBI has secured his home and federal law enforcement is searching his family’s residence in suburban Pittsburgh, the law enforcement official said. His family is cooperating with investigators, an FBI official said.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News on Sunday that suspicious devices were found in the gunman’s vehicle. The gunman also had with him a piece of commercially available equipment that appeared capable of initiating the devices. Bomb technicians called to the scene were involved in securing and investigating the devices.
Do we know the motive for the assassination attempt?
In a news conference late Saturday night, Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh office, refused to speculate on a possible motive, but said authorities are investigating the shooting as an “attempted assassination.”
“Right now, we’re tracking down all leads, and doing all interviews, and tracking anything that we can regarding suspicious locations, vehicles … that’s all related to this event, but I can’t confirm or deny anything beyond that,” Rojek said.
A law enforcement official said early Sunday that no foreign terrorism ties were known and the suspect was not on the radar of law enforcement, although they were still running his name down.
The FBI says investigators are combing through his social media postings and emails, but that so far they have found nothing to lead them to a motive. They said are not seeing anything threatening in his postings so far.
Investigators also have his cellphone, which was sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.
The FBI is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Secret Service and state and local agencies.
How is Trump now?
The Trump campaign said in a statement Saturday that the former president was ‘fine.” He was taken to a local hospital and left a few hours later.
In a post on Truth Social Saturday night, Trump described his injuries: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
He thanked the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies for their rapid response, and extended condolences to the family of the man who was killed.
/ Getty Images
He posted on Truth Social early Sunday that Americans need to “remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness.”
“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” Trump wrote. “I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin,” where the Republican National Convention begins Monday.
Video posted by a Trump aide to social media early Sunday morning showed him walking down the steps of his plane unaided after landing at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Where was the Trump rally and how far away was the shooter?
The rally on Saturday was in Butler, Pennsylvania, which is north of Pittsburgh and is the county seat of Butler County.
The gunman was on the roof of a shed, outside the rally’s security perimeter set up by the Secret Service, and opened fire from about 400 feet away from the stage where Trump was speaking, law enforcement sources said.
Google Earth/CBS News
Two law enforcement sources told CBS News that the shooter was spotted outside the security perimeter as people were filing into the rally, and he was reported by a bystander to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. He was identified as a suspicious person by police, the sources said.
An armed municipal officer with Butler Township encountered the gunman before the shooting, Butler County Sheriff Michael Sloupe confirmed to CBS News. The officer and others had been previously alerted to a suspicious person and began searching for him right away, Sloupe told CBS Pittsburgh reporter Jen Borrasso.
At some point, the officer was hoisted by another officer onto the roof of the building where the shooter was in position. The shooter focused his rifle towards the officer, who let go and fell off the roof. Then the shooter began firing into the crowd, according to Sloupe.
The gunman fired 6 to 8 rounds using a semiautomatic AR-style rifle from his position approximately 400 feet from the podium, before he was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper team.
Rojek, with the FBI, called it “surprising” that the gunman was able to fire multiple shots.
“It is incredibly difficult to have a venue open to the public, and to secure that against any possible threat, against a very determined attacker,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said of the Secret Service. “That’s a huge lift to try and do it.”
Who was the rally victim who was fatally shot?
The spectator who was killed has been identified as Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old man who was shot while attempting to shield his family from the gunfire, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news conference Sunday.
“Corey was the very best of us,” Shapiro said. “Corey died a hero. Corey dove on his family to protect them last night. Corey was a ‘girl dad.’ Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community.”
Pennsylvania State Rep. Marci Mustello called Comperatore “a devoted public servant, having served as the fire chief for Buffalo Township Fire Company, and he was a cherished member of our community in Butler County.”
“His commitment to his wife and two daughters, and his unwavering dedication to his role as a fire chief exemplified his remarkable character,” Mustello said. “My heart breaks for his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time, and I join the community in mourning his loss. A true American hero, Corey sacrificed his life to protect his family.”
“May Corey Comperatore’s memory be a blessing and a reminder of the selfless service he provided to us all.”
The two spectators who were wounded have been identified as 57-year-old David Dutch, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Both were listed in critical but stable condition Sunday.
What did Biden say about the shooting?
President Biden first responded to the shooting in a statement saying he was grateful to hear that Trump was safe and doing well.
“Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety,” he said. “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
He then addressed the nation shortly after 8 p.m. ET Saturday, saying “there is no place for this kind of violence in America.”
“It’s sick. It’s sick,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
On Sunday, Biden made brief remarks at the White House, saying he was “sincerely grateful” that Trump is doing well, adding that he spoke with the former president on Saturday night. He characterized the call as a “short, good” conversation, and said he would address the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. Sunday.
He has been getting briefed by top officials and said he has ordered an independent review of the security and events at the Pennsylvania rally to determine what went wrong.
Mr. Biden also called for unity in the wake of the assassination attempt and denounced political violence.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence, or any violence for that matter,” the president said. “An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. It’s not who we are as a nation.”
The president said unity is the “most elusive goal of all” and added that “nothing is more important than that right now. Unity.”
A Biden campaign official said Saturday that the campaign was pausing all outbound communications and working to take down their television ads as quickly as possible.
Robert Costa, Pat Milton, Andy Triay, Arden Farhi, Fin Gomez, Aaron Navarro, Sara Cook and other CBS News staff contributed reporting.
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Paul Whelan, freed in prisoner swap with Russia, tells other American detainees: “We’re coming for you”
Washington — Nearly seven weeks after the Russians handed over Paul Whelan on a tarmac in Ankara, Turkey, the Marine veteran stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with a message for other Americans who are held abroad.
“We’re coming for you,” he told reporters Tuesday night after he met with lawmakers. “It might take time, but we’re coming.”
Whelan said he spoke with lawmakers about how the government can better support detainees after they’re released.
“We spoke about how the next person’s experience could be better,” he said. “What the government could do for the next person that’s held hostage and comes home — the care and support that other people might need, especially people that are in a worse situation. There are people coming back that lived in the dirt without shoes for three years, people that were locked up in hideous conditions for 20 years. They need support.”
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The U.S. secured Whelan’s release in August in one of the largest prisoner swaps since the end of the Cold War. The complex deal came after months of sensitive negotiations between the U.S., Russia, Germany, Slovenia, Poland and Norway.
As part of the deal, Russia released 16 prisoners while the Western countries released eight Russians. Whelan was released alongside Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a U.S. green card holder and Kremlin critic.
Whelan, who had been the longest-held American detainee in Russia, was arrested in December 2018 when he traveled to the country to attend a friend’s wedding. He was convicted of espionage in a secret trial and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.
Whelan, his family and the U.S. government vehemently denied that he was a spy and accused Russia of using him as a political pawn. The U.S. government considered him to be wrongfully detained, a rare designation that put more government resources toward securing his release.
But a deal to secure his freedom was long elusive. He remained behind bars as Russia freed Marine veteran Trevor Reed and women’s basketball star Brittney Griner — both of whom were detained after Whelan’s arrest — in prisoner swaps with the U.S.
The U.S. said it pushed for his inclusion in both exchanges, but Russia refused. It led to Whelan advocating for his own release from a remote prison camp, calling government officials and journalists to make sure that he wasn’t forgotten.
When the plane carrying Whelan, Gershkovish and Kurmasheva landed in Maryland on Aug. 1, Whelan was the first to disembark. He was greeted by President Biden, who gave Whelan his American flag pin, and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Whether he likes it or not, he changed the world,” Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, told reporters Tuesday.
Whelan’s case and his family’s constant pressure on the U.S. government brought more attention to the cases of Americans who are wrongfully detained by foreign governments.
Haley said Whelan is a reminder to other Americans considering traveling to Russia that “you have a target on your back.”
Whelan said it’s been an adjustment acclimating to life back in the U.S., especially learning the latest technology like his iPhone 15.
“I was in a really remote part of Russia,” he said. “We really didn’t have much. The conditions were poor. The Russians said the poor conditions were part of the punishment. And coming back to see this sort of thing now is a bit of a shock, but it’s a good shock.”
