The short version
- On Sunday night, Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign meeting in Pennsylvania, but he is safe after the incident.
- Thomas Matthew Crooks (20) was identified as the perpetrator. He was shot and killed on the spot.
- Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was registered as a Republican.
- President Joe Biden and other senior politicians condemned the attack and expressed relief that Trump is safe.
- The incident is being investigated as an assassination attempt, and questions have been raised about Trump’s security.
Sea view
Night to Sunday Norwegian time Former President Donald Trump was shot in the right ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump was evacuated from the area and is safe, while one bystander was killed and two others were critically injured. All three are grown men, according to CBS News.
F.B.I The shooter has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks (20). He was shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
The cause is unknown.
Thomas Matthew Crooks from the Bethel Park High School yearbook. The image has been reproduced by, among others, the BBC and CBS News.
The Wall Street Journal writes that explosives were found in the perpetrator’s car. It was parked close to the crime scene.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation are said to have informed the newspaper.
Special Agent Kevin Rojek says the FBI found no evidence Thomas Matthew Crooks struggled with mental health issues. They found nothing but threatening behavior on his social media.
A semi-automatic rifle was found at the scene: an AR-556. The FBI tells Reuters the weapon was purchased legally.
– We believe the suspect’s father bought the weapon, Rojek told Reuters.
Crooks’ father told CNN that he wants to know “what the hell is going on” and will wait until he has spoken to the police before making a statement.
Crooks is from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
He didn’t have ID with him, so investigators used DNA to identify him, the FBI says.
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, where he received $500 and an award for his math and science skills, according to the local Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper.
Several media outlets have spoken to Jason Kohler, who went to the same school as Crooks.
The shooter didn’t fit in at school and was bullied, Kohler says CNN.
Summer Barkley also went to school with Crooks, and says BBC that he got good grades.
– It was nothing out of the ordinary. He was a decent kid, says Barkley.
Crooks worked at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing in her hometown. Marcie Grimm at the nursing home confirms this The New York Times. They found nothing suspicious when they ran a background check on him.
The employees were shocked when they heard about the shooting, Grimm says.
He does not have a military background, says Patrick S. Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman CNN.
There are also no indications that he has ties to American or international terrorist organizations, he writes The New York Times.
So far, little is known about Crook’s social media. But Discord has found an account that appears to belong to Crooks. This is what the company writes in a statement, according to Newsweek.
– It was rarely used and we found no indication that it was used to plan this event or to discuss political views, writes Discord.
Crooks did not have an unusual online history for a 20-year-old man, writes the New York Times. According to the newspaper’s sources, he enjoyed playing chess and video games, and was learning how to code.
The police left his home, which is located less than an hour from where the election meeting took place.
Sources tell the Wall Street Journal that explosives were found in the attacker’s car.
A neighbor of Crooks tells CBS that she was evacuated from her home in the middle of the night.
– They asked us to leave the house, and told us it was an emergency situation. There was no warning, just a knock on the door in the middle of the night, the neighbor says.
Background
Assassination of Trump
What happened?
Former president Donald Trump, now running for re-election, was shot when he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Sunday night Norwegian time. Evacuate him quickly and he is safe.
In addition, the shooter killed a male bystander. In addition, two men are critically injured.
Who is behind it?
American authorities identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks – a 20-year-old man from the suburb of Bethel Park in Pennsylvania.
He fired several shots from a roof outside the audience area, just over 100 meters from the podium where Trump spoke. Secret Service agents shot and killed him after a few seconds. Read more about Crooks here.
What was the point?
It is not clear at the moment.
At the same time, there are many conspiracy theories as to what is behind the attack.
Regarding Crook’s political views, it has been written by the American media that he is registered as a Republican voter. At the same time, Crooks has donated money for a political group that supports the Democrats.
The upcoming presidential election was the first time Crooks had the right to vote.
How does the assassination affect the election campaign?
VG spoke to several US experts about this.
They fear more political violence and believe the attack could lead to even more extreme rhetoric between the already polarized wings of American politics.
– This incident could make an already toxic situation even more toxic, according to Civita councilor Eirik Løkke.
In addition, associate professor Sofie Høgestøl believes that security will be an important focus in the next election campaign.
Crooks registered as a Republican, writes Washington Post. According to AP News, on January 20, 2021, he donated US$15 to a political group that supports the Democrats. This is the date Joe Biden was inaugurated as president.
The presidential election in November was the first election in which Crooks had the right to vote, writes CNN.
He was shot and killed by Secret Service agents on a rooftop near the audience area, where Trump held a campaign rally on Saturday night.
It was less than 200 meters between the president and the roof of the house from which Crook shot, according to the report BBC Verify. They have analyzed photos and videos from the scene. AP writes that the roof is less than 150 meters away from where Trump stood.
Trump landed in New Jersey shortly after midnight local time. The news agency AP he writes that he plans to spend the night at his private golf club near Bedminster, New Jersey.
President Joe Biden and other high-ranking politicians condemn the attack.
– I am grateful to hear that Trump is safe and in good shape. I pray for him and his family, and for everyone who was present at the event, says Biden in one statement on X.
The incident is being investigated as attempted murder.
– I was shot with a bullet that went through the upper part of the right ear, says Donald Trump in a statement on the Truth Social platform.
Witness Greg Smith describes BBC how he could see a man crawling on a roof just outside the event, about 15 meters away.
– He had a rifle, we could see him clearly with a rifle, he says to the BBC’s Gary O’Donoghue.
In a video from the election campaign meeting in Pennsylvania on Sunday night Norwegian time, you can hear the sound of several shots before Trump grabs his neck and lies down.
“Get down! Get down!», ropes det.
Shortly after, he is accosted by several Secret Service agents.
While the agents lie over Trump, someone can be heard saying “shooter’s down”.
After a while, Trump is brought back on stage. You can see he’s bleeding from his ear.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Trump says before raising a clenched fist in the air and then a huge cheer from the crowd.
“We had to move”, shouted several times and Trump is escorted from the stage and further into a black car.
“United States of America! United States of America! USA,” shouts the crowd.
One member of the audience is dead and two others are injured.
After the assassination Trump’s safety has been questioned. The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle for a hearing scheduled for July 22.
Here is Trump being carried away after the shooting incident: