The FBI is investigating the Trump rally attack as a potential act of domestic terrorism

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump called for unity and resilience Sunday after an assassination attempt added new uncertainty to an already tumultuous presidential campaign and raised sharp questions about how a gunman was able to open fire. on a nearby roof. a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

A full day after the shooting, the gunman’s motive was still a mystery, and investigators said he acted alone before being fatally shot by Secret Service agents. President Joe Biden ordered an independent security review of the attack, which killed one bystander and seriously injured two others. The FBI was investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism.

The attack shook the firmament of the American political system, prompting a reassessment and a halt — at least temporarily — to the heated 2024 presidential campaign, which has grown increasingly vicious.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said the top of his right ear was pierced by a bullet. His aides said he was in “tremendous gear” and doing well, and he arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday.

“I immediately knew something was wrong as I heard a hiss, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet break through the skin,” he wrote on his social media site. “There was a lot of bleeding.”

In a later social post on Sunday, Trump said: “Right now, it’s more important than ever that we stand together and show our true character as Americans by staying strong and determined and not letting evil win.”

The rally attendee who was killed was identified as Corey Comperatore, a former area fire chief, according to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who added that Comperatore “died a hero.”

“His wife told me he threw himself at his family to protect them,” Shapiro said. The other two bystanders who were injured were listed in stable condition.

Biden spoke briefly with Trump and was scheduled to address the nation Sunday night. The president said the country would continue to debate and disagree, but stressed: “We must come together as one nation to prove who we are.”

The FBI is investigating the shootings as possible domestic terrorism

The FBI identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, which is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the scene of the shooting.

The gunman had his father’s AR-style rifle and was perched on a nearby rooftop when some rally attendees directed him to local law enforcement, two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said. anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation.

A local law enforcement officer climbed onto the roof and found Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer then retreated down the stairs and the gunman fired rapidly at Trump, officials said. That’s when U.S. Secret Service gunmen shot him, officials said.

Questions abounded about how the gunman could have gotten so close in the first place. Kevin Rojek, the agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, said it was “amazing” that the gunman was able to open fire on the scene before the Secret Service killed him.

Bomb-making materials were found both inside Crooks’ vehicle and in his home. The FBI described the devices as “rudimentary.”

His motive remained unclear. Crooks was not on the FBI’s radar and was believed to have acted alone. Investigators checked his social media and his home, but did not immediately find any threatening writings or posts. His family cooperated. Relatives of Crooks did not return multiple messages seeking comment from the AP.

Crooks’ political leanings were also unclear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day Biden was sworn in as president.

The absence of a clear ideological motive added to the deepening questions about the shooting, denying the public any quick or orderly conclusions about the shocking crime.

Biden urged Americans to be patient. “I urge everyone — everyone, please — not to make assumptions about his motives or affiliations,” he said.

The worst assassination attempt since 1981

The attack was the most serious attempt to kill a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It drew new attention to concerns about political violence in a deeply polarized U.S. with less than four months before the presidential election.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said agents had seen increasingly violent rhetoric online since the rally, along with people posing online as the dead shooter.

“We’re also focusing on the ongoing efforts — which were already substantial given that they are special national security events — at the conventions in Chicago, in Milwaukee,” he said.

Biden on Sunday ordered a security review of operations for the Republican National Convention, which is going ahead as planned. The Secret Service said it was “confident” in the RNC’s security plan and no further changes were planned.

Biden, who is running against Trump, said the two men had a “brief but good” conversation Saturday night. Biden returned to Washington from his beach house in Delaware, where he met with leaders in the Situation Room about the attack. He said during a speech Sunday afternoon that “there is no place in America for this kind of violence.”

“We cannot allow this to happen,” Biden said.

However, many Republicans were quick to blame Biden and his allies for the violence, arguing that the sustained attacks on Trump as a threat to democracy had created a toxic environment.

It is not yet clear whether Biden will be forced to recalibrate a campaign that has largely focused on Trump as a threat to democracy. It’s a situation the US hasn’t seen since Teddy Roosevelt was shot a month before the 1912 election while campaigning to win back the White House as a third-party candidate.

A rally interrupted by gunfire

Trump was showing a chart of the number of border crossings when gunfire began after 6:10 p.m. Saturday.

When the first pop sounded, Trump said “Oh” and raised his hand to his right ear and looked at her, before quickly crouching on the ground behind the lectern. People in the stands behind him also cowered as screams echoed through the crowd.

Someone near the microphone could be heard saying, “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as agents rushed the scene. They piled on top of the former president to shield him with their bodies, while other agents took up positions on the stage to search for the threat.

After that, voices were heard saying, “The tug is down” several times, before someone asked, “Are we okay to move?” and “Are we clear?” Then someone ordered, “Let’s move.”

Trump stood up moments later and could be seen reaching for his right hand, which was streaked with blood. He then put his fist in the air and appeared to say the word “fight” twice to his crowd of supporters, prompting loud cheers and then chants of “U.S.A. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

His curtain left the venue moments later. The video showed Trump turning back to the crowd and raising his fist just before getting into a vehicle.

Witnesses heard several gunshots and took cover

When they started the fire, “everyone went to their knees or lying down, because we all knew. Everybody becoming aware that there were gunshots,” said Dave McCormick, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Pennsylvania, who was standing to Trump’s right on stage.

When he saw Trump raise his fist, McCormick said, he looked over his shoulder and noticed someone had been hit while sitting in the bleachers backstage.

First responders were eventually able to pull the injured person out of a large crowd so he could receive medical attention, McCormick said.

Reporters at the rally heard five or six gunshots, and many ducked for cover, hiding under tables. After the first two or three bangs, people in the crowd seemed surprised, but not panicked. An AP reporter at the scene reported that the noise sounded like firecrackers at first or perhaps a car reversing.

When it was clear that the situation had been contained and Trump was not returning to speak, attendees began to exit the venue. Police soon told everyone to leave, and Secret Service agents described the site as “a live crime scene.”

Republican Mike Kelly, who represents the district where the shooting took place, attended the rally with his wife and grandchildren and was right behind Trump when he was injured. Kelly said he was “in a state of bewilderment as to how and what happened to the United States of America.”

“I just wish people would tone it down,” he said. “Stop trying to find someone to blame. The fault lies somewhere in the American psyche.”

___

Colvin, Balsamo and Price reported from New York. Long reported from Washington. Tucker reported from Westport, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Will Weissert, Michael Biesecker, Alanna Durkin Richer, Lisa Mascaro and Tara Copp in Washington and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

Julie Carr Smyth, Jill Colvin, Colleen Long, Michael Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press