Shooting was an assassination attempt against Trump, FBI says

source : CNN

What we're covering

• Former President Donald Trump was injured Saturday evening during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in what the FBI says was an assassination attempt. The gunman and at least one audience member are dead, the Secret Service said, and two other attendees are critically injured.
• Trump said on social media that he was shot and hit by a bullet in the “upper part of my right ear.” The Secret Service said the former president is safe after he was rushed off the stage with blood on his face.
• The FBI has identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just outside the rally venue, before he was killed by Secret Service agents.
• Eyewitnesses described a “bloody” and chaotic scene. “It’s pure insanity,” said one rally attendee.
• President Joe Biden spoke with Trump after the shooting. Biden denounced the violence in remarks Saturday night and said in a statement earlier that he’s “grateful” Trump is safe. Biden, who was planning to stay in Delaware for the weekend, returned to the White House earlier than planned so he can continue receiving briefings from law enforcement.

Authorities have named the gunman and shared details about the casualties from the shooting that took place Saturday afternoon at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Here’s the latest:

• The gunman: The FBI identified him as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who lived in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles south of the rally location. He was killed at the scene by Secret Service agents. Public records show he was registered to vote as a Republican, but made a small donation to a Democratic-aligned group in 2021.
• Further threats: Authorities at a news conference said they don’t currently believe there are any additional existing threats, but that its still an active investigation and it’s too early to conclusively say it was a lone wolf attack.
• The casualties: The shooting left one attendee dead and two others critically injured, authorities say. All three were adult men. Though they have been identified by authorities, those details have not yet been publicly shared.