Live Updates: Trump rally shooting investigation continues as details emerge

An investigation is continuing into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, who appeared at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee for a second time on Tuesday night with his ear still bandaged and with increased security evident around him.

The gunman's motive in the Saturday attack on the president remains unclear four days after he opened fire at Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — injuring Trump and two others, and killing a rallygoer . The U.S. Secret Service is facing mounting questions about the security flaws that allowed the shooter to fire from a rooftop near the rally.

Eric Trump, the former president's son, told CBS News his father doesn't have stitches after he was shot, but has a "nice flesh wound." He said his father's hearing is fine and that he is "in great spirits."

Details about the moments before the shooting are emerging. Cellphone video taken Saturday shows rally attendees pointing toward the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks , and trying to alert authorities to his presence — a full two minutes before the 20-year-old opened fire.

A sniper from a local tactical team deployed to assist the U.S. Secret Service at the rally took a picture of the gunman and saw him looking through a rangefinder minutes before he tried to assassinate the former president, a local law enforcement officer with direct knowledge of the events told CBS News.

The sniper was one of three members of local tactical teams who were stationed inside the building that the shooter used in the attack, the officer said. The operations plan had them stationed inside, looking out windows toward the rally, scanning the crowd. The details about the three snipers were first reported by the local news outlet BeaverCountian.com.

A federal law enforcement bulletin obtained by CBS News identified the gunman as "an apparent lone attacker." The FBI is investigating whether he was a politically motivated homegrown domestic violent extremist.

The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general is opening an investigation into the rally's planning, and President Biden said he is directing an independent review of security and events at the rally to determine what went wrong.

Three fully loaded magazines recovered after rally shooting

Law enforcement recovered three fully loaded magazines from the rally Saturday, sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News. The magazines belonged to the gunman, who used an AR-style rifle during the shooting.

It's not clear if the magazines were found on the gunman's body or in his vehicle.

Investigators previously found two suspected improvised explosive devices in the gunman's car, according to an FBI/DHS bulletin. Another was found at his residence.

— CBS News' Nicole Sganga, Rob Legare

House Judiciary committee to hold hearing into FBI investigation

The House Committee on the Judiciary, led by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan from Ohio, will hold a hearing next week to "examine the FBI's investigation" into the assassination attempt against Trump and what it called the "ongoing politicization of the Bureau."

FBI director Christopher Wray will be called as a witness, according to the announcement of the hearing.

Shooter's motive still unknown

It is still unclear why the shooter opened fire on Trump at the campaign rally.

The FBI has cracked into his phone, scoured his computer, home and car, and interviewed more than 100 people as they search for answers.

The gunman appears to have been an intelligent loner with few friends, an apparently thin social media platform and no hints of strong political beliefs. He was described by former classmates from Bethel Park High School as smart but standoffish, often seen wearing headphones and preferring to sit alone at lunch, looking at his phone. Some said he was often mocked by other students for the clothes he wore, which included hunting outfits.

"He sat by himself, didn't talk to anyone, didn't even try to make conversation," said 17-year-old Liam Campbell. "He was an odd kid," but nothing about him seemed dangerous, he added. "Just a normal person who seemed like he didn't like talking to people."

Other classmates remembered the gunman in a more positive light. Jameson Myers, who graduated alongside the shooter in 2022, told CBS News that the gunman was a "nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone."

"I never have thought him capable of anything I've seen him do in the last few days," said Myers, who said that he had been friends with the gunman in elementary school. "When I did speak with him, he just seemed like a normal boy who was not particularly popular but never got picked on or anything."

After graduating from high school, the shooter went on to the Community College of Allegheny County, earning an associate's degree with honors in engineering science in May. He also worked at a nursing home as a dietary aide.

— CBS/AP

Assassination attempt leads to increased security

On the RNC floor on Tuesday evening, vice presidential candidate JD Vance greeted and shook hands with excited delegates as he walked toward his seat. It was a marked contrast from Trump, who entered the hall a few minutes later. Instead of handshakes or hellos for those gathered, he offered fist pumps to the cameras and closely hugged the wall, separated from supporters by a column of Secret Service agents.

The contrast underscores the new reality facing Trump after the attempt on his life. Trump's campaign must also adjust to a new reality after he came millimeters from death or serious injury — and as law enforcement warns of the potential for more political violence.

Trump campaign officials declined to comment on the stepped-up security and how it might impact his interactions going forward.

"We do not comment on President Trump's security detail. All questions should be directed to the United States Secret Service," said Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung.

Donald Trump doesn't have stitches, but a "nice flesh wound," Eric Trump says

Donald Trump's son Eric Trump said his father doesn't have stitches, but has a "nice flesh wound" after the shooting.

The former president's right ear was hit by gunfire, and when he appeared at the Republican National Convention on Monday and Tuesday, he wore a large bandage over the injury.

Speaking to "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil from the floor of the convention in Milwaukee Wednesday morning, Eric Trump said his father has referred to the injury as "the greatest earache he's ever had."

"You know, he was millimeters away from having his life expunged. ... I'm sure the ear doesn't feel well," Eric Trump said.

Read more here and watch the interview in the video below:

Federal law enforcement officials to brief Congress

Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are set to receive briefings from federal law enforcement officials Wednesday afternoon, multiple sources familiar with the briefing told CBS News.

The House and Senate will receive briefings from the Justice Department, U.S. Secret Service and FBI officials over the phone, with lawmakers away from Washington this week.

The separate briefings come amid an outcry of condemnation for the attack from members of Congress, along with plans to investigate the incident.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night that the House would conduct an "immediate and thorough investigation."

"The American people deserve to know the truth and we will ensure accountability," Johnson said.

Gun range president where shooter was member: "We know very little about him"

Through his family, the gunman was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club, a shooting range about 11 miles east of his hometown, Bethel Park. The club has an outdoor range for high-powered rifles with targets set at distances of up to about 560 feet.

"We know very little about him," club president Bill Sellitto told The Associated Press. "That was a terrible, terrible thing that happened Saturday — that's not what we're about by any means."

The gunman fired from the roof of a building about 410 feet from the main rally stage. The building was just outside the bounds of a security perimeter established on the property, CBS News previously reported.

–CBS/AP

Homeland Security inspector general probing rally planning

The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general is opening an investigation into the planning of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The investigation is listed on the inspector general's office's website as an "ongoing project" that aims to evaluate the U.S. Secret Service's process for securing the event.

The investigation is separate from one President Biden announced on Sunday, when he said he is directing an independent review of the security and events at the rally to determine what went wrong.

Security experts question why building wasn't secured

The gunman who opened fire on former President Donald Trump was on the roof of a building about 410 feet from the stage where he was addressing the crowd. Security experts questioned why the building hadn't been included in the security perimeter set up for the rally by the Secret Service.

Patrick Brosnan, a former New York Police Department detective who runs a national private intelligence and security firm that has protected heads of state, told The Associated Press that a building that close to the stage should have been secured and under surveillance from the start.

"It would just seem to me to be elemental and rudimentary as it relates to providing a steel band or circular band of protection for the former president, who is fully exposed," said Brosnan, who has trained with the Secret Service and spoken in the past to Trump and his family about security issues.

Stan Kephart, a former police chief who worked event security for two former presidents, called the situation "an absolute and abysmal failure" on the part of the Secret Service to protect Trump. The agency is ultimately responsible for the candidate's safety, he noted.

"You don't get to blame other people. They are under your control," said Kephart.

Moments after the gunman opened fire, he was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper positioned on a rooftop behind the stage.

–CBS/AP

Huckabee Sanders: "God Almighty intervened" in Trump shooting

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was White House press secretary for most of the Trump administration, invoked the divine during her address to the Republican National Convention on its second night Tuesday.

Speaking about Trump surviving Saturday's assassination attempt, Sanders said, "not even an assassin's bullet could stop him," adding, "God Almighty intervened because America is one nation under God and he is certainly not finished with President Trump." That drew loud applause.

Iran denies any involvement in Trump shooting

Iran on Wednesday rejected what it called "malicious" accusations by U.S. media implicating it in Saturday's attempt to kill former President Donald Trump.

Tehran "strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack against Trump," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said, while Iran's mission to the United Nations called accusations of a previous plot to kill the former president "unsubstantiated and malicious."

U.S. intelligence recently detected an Iranian plot against Trump, and the information was shared with the Secret Service before Saturday's event in Pennsylvania, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday.

The National Security Council said it's been tracking Iranian threats against the former president for years, though no ties have been identified between Saturday's shooting and a foreign actor.

–CBS/AFP

Oversight Committee chair to subpoena Secret Service director

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee's chairman plans to subpoena Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle for testimony on the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, a spokeswoman for the panel said Tuesday.

Cheatle is set to appear before committee members for an oversight hearing on July 22, Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, announced Monday. While the Secret Service also agreed to brief lawmakers on Tuesday, the panel's spokeswoman said, the Department of Homeland Security "took over communications" with the committee and has not confirmed a time for the briefing.

Cheatle's job at the helm of the Secret Service has come under scrutiny following the shooting at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One spectator, firefighter Corey Comperatore , was killed in the attack and two others, Marine Corps veteran David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were wounded.

The head of the House Homeland Security Panel, Rep. Mark Green, also invited Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Chris Wray and Cheatle to testify before lawmakers on July 23.

Read more here .

New details about the moments leading up to attempted assassination

CBS News analysis of video from the scene shows that two minutes lapsed between the first warnings about a man with a gun at the Trump rally and the first shot being fired. CBS News' Charlie De Mar and Nicole Sganga break down the details in the video below.

House Speaker Johnson promises "thorough investigation" of assassination attempt

House Speaker Mike Johnson assured supporters on the second night of the Republican National Convention that the House would conduct an "immediate and thorough investigation" of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

"Everyone, hear me clearly and listen to me at home, and make no mistake: The House is conducting an immediate and thorough investigation of these tragic events," Johnson told the crowd gathered in Milwaukee. "That work has already begun. The American people deserve to know the truth, and we will ensure accountability."

Referring to the Republican Party as a "law and order team," Johnson said the rule of law in the country was in "serious jeopardy."

"We've come to a moment in America where the basic things that we once took for granted are being openly challenged like never before," Johnson said. "We're now in the midst of a struggle between two completely different visions of who we are as Americans and what our country will be."

Pennsylvania man who died during rally will receive public procession on Thursday

Corey Comperatore , the retired fire chief who was killed on Saturday at the Trump rally, will receive a public procession on Thursday.

The public will be able to attend the procession through Freeport Community Park in Freeport, Pennsylvania, which will be followed by a public visitation and, later, a private funeral.

At a security meeting on Tuesday, law enforcement officials said they expect a line out the door.

"At the end of the day I think we need to remember Corey," Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said about the 50-year-old former firefighter who died while shielding his family from gunfire.

Comperatore's jacket still hangs outside the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Hall, where he volunteered for decades and where former colleagues are now honoring and remembering him for his dedication to his family and community.

Read more here.