Former President Donald Trump was shot during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.He was immediately shielded and taken to safety after his ear was injured. Details are emerging about how it happened and the identity of the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20.
President Joe Biden delivered an address from the Oval Office on Sunday night and said he was grateful Trump was not seriously hurt.
Here’s what we know.
Where did it happen?
The shooting took place at a presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a city in the western part of the state about an hour's drive north of Pittsburgh.
What happened?
About six minutes into Trump’s speech, the former president could be seen clutching his ear after popping noises rang out over the rally. Trump ducked to the ground as several Secret Service agents rushed to the stage and surrounded him on all sides. There were screams from onlookers as the scene unfolded.
Roughly a minute later, agents helped Trump get up from the ground and stand. He held up his fist to the crowd, prompting cheers from supporters. Several agents then rushed him off the stage and escorted him into a vehicle.
Blood could be seen on Trump’s ear and on the side of his face. He later said on his social media site, Truth Social, that a bullet “pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
According to preliminary reports, which could change as the crime scene is processed, eight shots were fired by the shooter, an official said.
Trump was talking about Biden’s policies on immigration when shots were fired.
Was anyone else hurt?
One spectator died and two others were critically wounded, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said.
The man who died was 50-year-old former firefighter Corey Comperatore, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday. He said that Comperatore, whom he called a hero, moved to protect his wife and two daughters when gunshots were heard at the rally.
The two people who were wounded were David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Both are being treated at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh and are listed as being in stable condition.
Witnesses described hearing loud popping noises, with one person saying they saw someone who was shot in the back of the head and another person who said she saw someone “bleeding profusely.”
Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, said in a statement that his nephew was injured in the shooting. Jackson said that his family was seated near Trump and that after they heard shots, his nephew realized something had grazed and cut his neck.
He said his nephew’s injury was not serious and “he is doing well.”
Was it an assassination attempt? Which agencies are investigating?
Law enforcement officials are investigating the incident as an assassination attempt.
“This evening, we had what we’re calling an assassination attempt against our former president, Donald Trump,” said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.
The FBI is investigating it as an act of domestic terrorism. The agency is leading efforts and working alongside the Secret Service and state and local law enforcement. In the aftermath of the shooting, the FBI deployed investigative agents, bomb technicians and evidence response personnel.
Rojek asked that witnesses to the shooting contact the FBI.
Who is the shooter? What was the motive?
The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He was killed at the scene.
“We do not currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” Rojek said.
A senior law enforcement official directly briefed on the matter said the nature of the shooting suggests political ideology as motive but that there was nothing definitive known at the time. The FBI conducted a preliminary analysis of Crooks’ phone but has not found anything to indicate motive, according to a senior U.S. law enforcement official.
Crooks used a semiautomatic rifle, based on what was found at the scene, three senior U.S. law enforcement officials said. FBI officials said that the weapon he used is believed to have been bought by his father, though they don’t have any additional information right now on how he got it. More than a dozen guns were also found in a search of the Crooks family home, according to four senior officials. The family is cooperating with investigators, an official said.
Law enforcement officials found a number of suspicious canisters or containers in Crooks’ vehicle, which was left near the rally, but it was unclear if they were functional as incendiary or explosive devices, two officials said.
The shooter was part of an area gun club, the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club. At its range in Clairton, the club has facilities for skeet shooting, high-power rifle exercises and archery practice.
Voter records from Pennsylvania listed a person with the same name, address and birth date as a registered Republican.
He did not have any affiliation with the U.S. military, according to the Defense Department.
It was not known whether the shooter was acting alone or in coordination with others. There does not appear to be any evidence currently that the shooting had any link to a foreign actor, according to a U.S. official.
Where was the shooter? Did the shooter get past security?
Crooks fired several shots from a nearby rooftop during the rally. The rooftop was outside the security perimeter established by the Secret Service, three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.
Rallygoers alerted local police of a suspicious person near the magnetometer area, two senior officials said. They tried to search for the suspicious person, believed to be Crooks, but could not find him in the crowd, the officials said.
Two municipal officers also tried to approach Crooks shortly before he opened fire, according to two senior officials. It is unclear where that took place.
Crooks’ father called the police after the shooting to say he was worried that his son and his AR rifle were missing, according to three senior officials.
What have we heard from Trump?
Trump first posted about the incident on Truth Social.
“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 wrote.
He expressed gratitude to the Secret Service and law enforcement for their quick response. He added, “Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.”
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead,” he wrote.
What have we heard from Trump’s family?
Melania Trump released a statement Sunday describing the fear she felt seeing the incident unfold and thanking the Secret Service agents and law enforcement who responded. She also offered sympathy for the victims.
“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion — his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration,” she wrote in the statement. “The core facets of my husband’s life — his human side — were buried below the political machine.”
She encouraged people to look beyond partisan politics: “Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love.”
Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, condemned the attack in a statement on X, thanking people for their prayers. “I am grateful to the Secret Service and all the other law enforcement officers for their quick and decisive actions today,” she wrote. “I continue to pray for our country.”
“I love you Dad, today and always,” she added.
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said in a statement through his spokesperson that he spoke to his father over the phone Saturday and that he is in “great spirits.” “He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him,” Trump Jr. said.
Their brother Eric Trump posted on X a picture of his father pumping his fist in the air after the shooting. “This is the fighter America needs!” the post read.
Has Biden responded?
In his address from the Oval Office, Biden shared his condolences to those who were hurt and championed the values of democracy. "The higher the stakes, the more fervent the passions become," he said. "This places an added burden on each of us to ensure that no matter how strong, our convictions must never descend into violence."
The president also held a news conference earlier in the day, in which he said he'd spoken with Trump, who was "doing well and recovering." Biden added that he and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed by law enforcement, the national security adviser and Homeland Security.
Biden said he has directed the Secret Service to provide Trump with "every resource capability and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety." He has also asked the Secret Service to review security for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday, and ordered an independent review of national security at the rally.
The president urged unity and cautioned against assumptions about the suspect's motives.
Biden first addressed reporters about the shooting from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, about 90 minutes after it occurred.
“It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” he said. “We cannot condone this.”
The president's campaigning was put on hold for roughly 36 hours and began again Monday afternoon.
