One man died, and two more were critically injured after a failed assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump
Former President Trump sustained light injuries after an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania ahead of the Republican National Convention. The event, which marks a sizable escalation of political violence in the country, has sent shockwaves across the United States and the world. The FBI is now investigating Saturday’s shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, which resulted in one death and critically wounded two others, as a potential act of domestic terrorism.
The attack unfolded abruptly, with gunshots ringing out just over six minutes into the presumptive Republican nominee’s remarks. This led to chaos amidst the crowd as Trump ducked for cover and the Secret Service went to his aid. According to Axios, the former president later recounted hearing a “whizzing sound” and feeling a bullet “ripping through the skin.” As of the writing of this article, the FBI has been examining “suspicious devices” found in searches of a vehicle and the Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, home of suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks, which were “rendered safe by bomb technicians.” Crooks was a recent graduate of Bethel Park High School, a registered Republican, and had made a small donation to a political action committee aimed at mobilizing Democratic voters. Authorities currently believe Crooks acted alone.
The motives of the 20-year-old shooting suspect, who died during the attack, remain unclear, contributing to concerns about a nation increasingly threatened by violence against elected officials. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi stated that the shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside the rally venue. A Secret Service sniper returned fire, killing the shooter, who was approximately 450 feet away from Trump.
However, the attack resulted in the death of Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, who was killed as he tried to protect his family. The two critically injured men, 57-year-old U.S. Marine veteran David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, were reported to be in stable condition as of late Sunday. Although Trump was grazed by a bullet, his campaign confirmed he was “fine” after a medical check. Top Republicans and Democrats have united in denouncing the attack. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who survived a shooting in 2017, called for a focus on policy rather than the “demonization of Donald Trump.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed horror at the event, while House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President Kamala Harris also condemned the violence. On Sunday evening, in a major televised address, President Biden directed an independent national security review to investigate the shooting. He emphasized the need to “lower the temperature” in U.S. politics, condemning the assassination attempt and calling for a more civil political discourse. “Politics must never be a literal battlefield,” Biden said, urging Americans to reject violence.