The FBI identified Donald Trump's shooter as a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania . The attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being investigated as an assassination attempt.
Trump, 78, was shot in the right ear at a campaign rally shortly after 6 p/m. on Saturday. Trump sought shelter as bullets were aimed at him in Butler, Pennsylvania, around 6:13 p.m. Trump was rushed off stage by Secret Service agents and taken away from the rally in a motorcade. Law enforcement secured the area.
The shooter was not named, during the press conference as the FBI was still investigating and running biometrics, as they say the shooter carried no ID. The shooter was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who is noted as a registered Republican.
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However, police have not announced a motive. The FBI has launched an investigation, now bringing dogs to the alleged shooter's home. This is routine, in case of 'booby traps.' The shooter was killed on-site.
Sources claim that they saw a man standing with a rifle pointed at the politician moments before the shots rang out. The suspected shooter, who was neutralized at the scene, was allegedly seen with a rifle pointed directly at the Presidential nominee for "two to three minutes" before the bullets were fired.
Kevin P Rojek, special agent in charge, said at a press conference: "We're not prepared at this time to provide the identity of the potential shooter. We're in the process of doing the confirmation and once we have the confirmation we'll release the name officially to the press. But at this time, we can't give any further information on the potential and needs to be done. Though it's a matter of doing biometric confirmations."
"So there was no identification on the individual. So we're looking at photographs right now and we're trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation on a comment just what police found left behind. We're still in the process of an active investigation. So we'd like to reserve releasing any information like that until we have more facts," Rojek continued.
The shooter was killed by a sniper and was seen in shocking footage lying dead on a roof of a structure, where he hid before firing his weapon.
Furthermore, the FBI formally named today's events as an assassination attempt and said they don't yet know what the motive was. "This evening we had what we're calling an assassination attempt on our former president, Donald Trump," Rojek told reporters. "We do not currently have an identified motive."
Trump, in good condition and spirits, took to Truth Social to post: "I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. 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.
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Live videos from the rally showed Trump clutching his right ear, then falling to the ground as three Secret Service agents rushed on-stage to shield him while attendees yelled: "Get down, get down, get down."
Following the shooting, the politician was spotted raising his right arm in a fist, blood trickling down his face. With this symbolic gesture, he reassured his supporters of his survival before being rushed to a local medical facility for treatment of minor injuries.
In the aftermath of the shooting, two individuals, including the alleged shooter, were confirmed dead. Another rally attendee is reported to be in critical condition at a hospital.
Witnesses at the event claimed they saw Secret Service "blow [the suspect's head off]" just moments after shots were fired at Trump.
Those present at the rally witnessed the shooting first-hand, with sources claiming they saw a man aiming a rifle at the politician just before the gunfire erupted.
The suspected shooter, now deceased, was reportedly seen with a rifle aimed directly at the Presidential nominee for "two to three minutes" prior to the shots being fired.
During a BBC interview, a man reported noticing the suspected shooter "bear-crawling up the roof of the building about 50ft away from us.
A witness described the aftermath, as he tried to alert authorities: "We were telling the police, we were pointing at him for the Secret Service who were looking at us from the top of the barn. They were looking at us the whole time.
"Another person at the rally shared his perspective with Sky News, noting the normalcy before the incident: "He was just giving the typical rally speech that he typically does everywhere, you know trying to encourage voters to get out and vote and talking about his plan for America."
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The witness detailed the confusion following the gunfire: "We heard everybody say 'get down' but I think he was already going down.
That's when everybody thought at first that maybe he had been hit more severely than he was. I mean it's already severe." He continued: "Let's face it. It hit his ear but a little closer and it could've been disastrous. But when he went down to the ground and he got up he put his fist up in the air - or his hand up in the air - so we knew he was okay."
The eyewitness then drew a chilling parallel to a dark moment in American history when asked about his feelings during the shooting, saying, "It was interesting listening to the people that were a part of the scene."
"What was going through my mind, of course, being a little older than many of those that were there, but I was recalling the Kennedy assassination and some of the other attempts that were made during my lifetime," and he remarked, "It's shocking. Most people were pretty upset. There no question about it."
In the aftermath of the gunfire, two individuals, including the alleged shooter, have been confirmed deceased following the incident which took place at approximately 6:13 p.m."
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