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BUTLER, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt Saturday when a gunman opened fire at him at a rally about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.
One person was killed in the shooting and two critically wounded, the U.S. Secret Service said. All were adult males, law enforcement officials said at a news conference. The gunman was shot dead by the Secret Service.
Trump was rushed off stage and the rally ended soon thereafter.
Early Sunday, the FBI identified the subject involved in the shooting as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa., which is about 40 miles south of Butler.
“It’ll be some time before we can conclusively answer” if it was a lone gunman, Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said at a news conference late Saturday.
He said they had identified the victims and contacted their family members but are not making those names public at this time.
Bivens said the Pennsylvania State Police will take the lead on the homicide and other parts of the investigation, FBI will take the lead on the “attempted assassination.” Bivens said “at this time we have no reason to believe there is any other outstanding threat out there.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump thanked the agents protecting him.
“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,” he said. “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. 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.”
Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s communication director, said Trump was checked out at a local medical facility and was fine.
The Trump campaign and the RNC issued a statement reaffirming that the Republican National Convention will still be held this week in Milwaukee, Wis. The convention is set to begin Monday.
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service, said in a statement that at approximately 6:15 p.m. ET, a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue. Secret Service agents killed the shooter, the statement said. One spectator was killed, and two spectators were critically injured, the statement added.
President Biden in a public statement called the incident “sick.”
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence, it’s sick,” he said from Delaware. “We cannot allow this to happen.”
A White House official said late Saturday that Biden spoke to Trump. Biden, who was in Delaware, was returning to Washington. He is expected to receive an updated briefing from homeland security and law enforcement officials, the official said.
A Biden campaign official said the Biden campaign is pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down its television ads as quickly as possible.
Chris Takach, an attendee at the rally, told Oliver Morrison, a reporter for NPR member station WESA: “We were next to the speaker tower on the fence line, heard the shots, we heard ammunition, riddle around in metal and then the hydraulic line on the speaker tower on the right side come down and then everybody hit the deck and then the cops all converged toward the, the right side of his body, Trump’s that is.”
Lawmakers react to Trump shooting
Congressional leaders reacted swiftly.
“Praying for President Trump,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement his “thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump.”
“I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response. America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable,” Jeffries said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed that sentiment, saying “political violence has no place in our country.”
“I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe,” he said in a statement.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said “tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally. Violence has no place in our politics. We appreciate the swift work of the Secret Service and other law enforcement.”
Former presidential candidates Doug Burgum, Ron DeSantis and Niki Haley have all posted messages on X, formerly known as Twitter, expressing concern and offering prayers for Trump.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said he had been briefed and the “the Justice Department will bring every available resource to bear to this investigation.”
