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An attempt to assassinate Donald Trump was made yesterday.
The story follows:
“Trump Is Safe After Assassination Attempt; Suspected Gunman Is Dead”, The New York Times
A spectator was also killed at the rally in Pennsylvania, the Secret Service said. Former President Donald J. Trump said in a post online that he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part” of his ear.
Published July 13, 2024Updated July 17, 2024
Trump Rushed Off Stage at Rally
Former President Donald J. Trump was escorted off the stage by Secret Service agents and into his motorcade just minutes into a rally after a series of shots rang out.
“If you want to really see something that’s sad, take a look at what happened over —” [gunshots] “Get down, get down, get down, get down.” [gunshots] “I got you, sir, I got you, sir.” “Let me get my shoes on.” “Hold that on your head, it’s bloody.” “Sir, we’ve got to move to the cars.” “Watch out.” “Wait, wait, wait, wait.” [crowd cheering] [crowd] “U.S.A. U.S.A.”
Trump Rushed Off Stage at Rally
1:11Former President Donald J. Trump was escorted off the stage by Secret Service agents and into his motorcade just minutes into a rally after a series of shots rang out.CreditCredit…Doug Mills/The New York Times
Follow the latest news on the Trump assassination attempt.
Pinned
Michael Gold, Julian E. Barnes and Simon J. Levien
Reporting from Butler, Pa.
Here’s the latest.
The federal authorities identified the gunman they said tried to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, a shooting that killed at least one spectator. Investigators declined to discuss a motive for the shooting.
At least two other spectators were critically injured on Saturday in Butler, Pa., the Secret Service said in a statement. The agency said the gunman was dead after officers responded.
Mr. Trump was escorted off the stage bleeding from around his ear, and taken to a hospital. He later said on social media that a bullet had pierced the upper part of his right ear.
President Biden gave a brief televised statement after the incident, condemning the violence as “sick.” The White House later said the president had spoken to Mr. Trump.
Here’s what to know:
- Two videos posted on social media and verified by The New York Times appeared to show the suspected shooter lying motionless on the roof of a small building roughly 400 feet north of the stage where former President Donald J. Trump was speaking. Here’s a map of the site.
- Mr. Trump had been showing supporters a chart of numbers about border crossings just minutes into his speech when shots rang out in two bursts. Read firsthand accounts from our reporterand photographer.
- A spokesman for the Secret Service said that the suspected shooter fired “multiple shots toward the stage” and was on “an elevated position” outside the rally venue. The Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies have not yet publicly confirmed that Mr. Trump was shot in the ear, saying only that shots were fired and that the former president was “safe.”
- Two law enforcement officials said that authorities recovered an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle from a deceased man they believe was the gunman. People who attend Mr. Trump’s campaign rallies are subject to security screenings, and their belongings are typically searched for weapons.
- After the shooting, Mr. Biden expressed gratitude that Mr. Trump had been swiftly evacuated and said “there’s no place in America for this kind of violence.” Mr. Biden’s campaign said in a statement that it would pause “all outbound communications” and was working to “pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.” Read more about the president’s response.
- Republicans and Democrats were quick to condemn what they viewed as an apparent act of political violence. Read more about the reaction.
- The Republican National Convention, where Mr. Trump will be formally nominated as his party’s presidential candidate, will proceed as planned in Milwaukee starting on Monday, according to a statement from the Trump campaign and R.N.C. officials.
Reporting was contributed by Nicholas Nehamas, Glenn Thrush, Campbell Robertson, Peter Baker and Katie Rogers.
July 14, 2024, 8:28 a.m. ETJuly 14, 2024July 14, 2024, 8:28 a.m. ET
The AR-15-style rifle is one of the most ubiquitous weapons in the United States.
An AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle was recovered by law enforcement at the scene of the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump at his rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday.
The AR-15 rifle, billed as “America’s rifle” by the National Rifle Association, has been commonly used by mass shooters and is one of the most ubiquitous weapons in the United States.
AR-15-style rifles are frequently customized with easy-to-purchase scopes and other accessories that can make even an untrained shooter lethal.
The rifle can be built to fire heavier and lighter rounds, such as .22-caliber and .308-caliber, but most commonly fires a 5.56-millimeter round, and has an effective range of between 500 and 800 yards.
In the hands of a trained shooter, accuracy at that range is difficult but possible, especially if the rifle is supported by bipods or sandbags that can stabilize the sway of its barrel.
In 2004, the AR-15 re-entered the gun market with far more popularity after the end of the federal assault weapons ban. The rifle was marketed as accessible and easy to personalize.
Light, precise and with little recoil, the Colt Armalite Rifle-15 Sporter was the first civilian version of the military’s M16 rifle when it first hit the market in the 1960s. It had a patented gas operating system that allowed for rapid fire and reloading. The weapon could easily handle a 20-round magazine, was easy to disassemble and was marketed, in one of Colt’s early advertisements, to hunters, campers and collectors.
The sale of AR-15-type rifles, and other military-style semiautomatic weapons, is banned in nine states: Washington, California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois and Delaware.
A correction was made on
July 15, 2024
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article referred imprecisely to the ban on AR-15 and other military-style semiautomatic weapons. While sales of such weapons are banned in nine states, not all of those states ban possession of weapons owned before the bans were put in place.
When we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at nytnews@nytimes.com.Learn moreShow less
Site of Trump rally where shots were fired
Note: Photo taken on Sunday morning.
By Leanne Abraham, June Kim, Elena Shao, Julie Walton Shaver, Anjali Singhvi, Christiaan Triebert and Karen Yourish; aerial image by Doral Chenoweth/USA TODAY NETWORK, via Reuters
July 14, 2024, 4:56 a.m. ETJuly 14, 2024July 14, 2024, 4:56 a.m. ET
Trump Supporters Gather at Trump Tower: ‘I’m Going to Be Here All Night’
One by one, they filed toward Fifth Avenue — locals, tourists, gawkers, fans — confident that, on this night, they would have company at Trump Tower.
Christine Randall, 59, had been watching former President Donald J. Trump’s rally at home in Manhattan when the shots rang out.
“I really thought maybe he was dead. I started crying,” Ms. Randall said just before 10 p.m. on Saturday night. “When he stood up, I was so happy.”
And then right away, she said, she collected her “Make America Great Again” hat and a “Take America Back” flag and started walking toward the former president’s building.
She was not alone.
With a wall of officers guarding the tower’s gilded entrance and a smattering of news cameras nearby, some two dozen visitors had descended, even hours after the shooting, to show their support for Mr. Trump and seek solace among the shaken.
They traded stories about where they were at the moment the event turned violent and snapped pictures of each other’s Trump-red gear and trimmings.
They waved at drivers and motorcyclists who honked or fist-pumped on the way by — “We love you, Trump! We love you!” someone shouted from the road — and bobbed a little when a Whitney Houston song played from a passing pedicab.
“I’m going to be here all night,” said Lynda Andrews, 51, wearing a Trump hat and a sparkling red top and holding an American flag.
Ms. Andrews said she is originally from Pennsylvania, the state where the rally was held. As she watched Mr. Trump on Saturday from her home in Harlem, she recalled, “I went into shock.”
And then:
“I saw his hand go up,” Ms. Andrews said. “And I’m like, ‘That’s my guy.’”
She changed her clothes and headed toward Midtown.
July 14, 2024, 2:54 a.m. ETJuly 14, 2024July 14, 2024, 2:54 a.m. ET
Reporting from Washington
World leaders express outrage and concern.
Heads of state worldwide reacted with shock and condemnation to the violence at the Trump rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday.
In the hours after former President Donald J. Trump was rushed to a hospital after a shooting that left one rally-goer dead and two others critically injured, there were many calls for his speedy recovery and denunciations of political violence. The Secret Service said Mr. Trump was “safe” and later an aide to Mr. Trump shared a video of him getting off an airplane unaided.
Here’s what some major leaders had to say.
- Hungary “My thoughts and prayers are with President Donald Trump in these dark hours,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on social media. Mr. Orban, a longtime Trump supporter, met with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida two days before the rally in Pennsylvania.
- Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, another close Trump ally, offered his prayers, adding that he was “shocked.”
- Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whom Mr. Trump has called a leader “I like and respect,” took to social media to call the violence “irrational and inhumane.”
- Ecuador President Daniel Noboa called the attack “unacceptable,” adding that the shooting was “a critical example of what we are exposed to every day.” Last year, an Ecuadorean presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, was killed in Quito by gunmen on motorcycles.
- Argentina President Javier Milei, who has long praised the leadership of Mr. Trump, was active on social media late into the evening sharing dozens of posts in support of the former president. In his own post, Mr. Milei expressed “all my support and solidarity to President and candidate Donald Trump, victim of a cowardly assassination attempt.”
- Italy “I am following with apprehension the updates from Pennsylvania, where the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump was shot during a rally,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote. A conservative leader with deep ties to the American right, she added that she hoped that “the next few months of the electoral campaign will see dialogue and responsibility prevail over hatred and violence.”
- India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post from his official account on X, said he was “deeply concerned by the attack on my friend, former President Donald Trump,” adding: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased, those injured and the American people.”
- China The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a short statement: “China is concerned about the shooting of former President Trump. President Xi Jinping has conveyed his sympathies to former President Trump.”
- Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, who often sparred over policy disagreements with Mr. Trump when he was in office, said in a social media post that he was “sickened” to learn of the shooting. “It cannot be overstated — political violence is never acceptable.”
- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose relationship with Mr. Trump got off to an awkward start after the 2019 phone callthat led to then-President Trump’s first impeachment, declared himself “appalled” and said: “Never should violence prevail,” adding, “I wish America emerges stronger from this.”
- Britain Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who assumed his role a little over a week ago, said in a statement that he was “appalled” by the shooting, adding, “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies, and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.”
- Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a social media post that “we must stand firm against violence that challenges democracy.” Shinzo Abe, a former Japanese prime minister, was fatally shot while speaking at a political event in July 2022.
- France President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media: “It is a tragedy for our democracies. France shares the shock and indignation of the American people.”
- South Korea Posting on X, President Yoon Suk Yeol wrote: “I am appalled by the hideous act of political violence.” He added: “The people of Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America.”
Reporting was contributed by Keith Bradsher,Amy Chang Chien, Chris Cameron, Choe Sang-Hun, Matina Stevis-Gridneff,Marc Santora, Motoko Rich and Anupreeta Das.
A correction was made on
July 15, 2024
An earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of the Italian prime minister. She is Giorgia Meloni, not Georgia
Here is what is known about the suspected gunman.
He was interested in chess and coding, and had recently received an associate’s degree in engineering science. High school classmates remembered him as an intelligent student who had few friends, but who never exhibited any glaring red flags. The nursing home where he had a job helping with meals said his work gave its staff no reason for “concern.”
And in an era when other people his age put troves of personal information online, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, left few clues about who he was, what he believed, or why he decided to drive to a Trump rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday and try to assassinate the former president.
On Sunday, federal investigators said a gunman they identified as Mr. Crooks had used an AR-15 style rifle purchased by his father to open fire from a rooftop outside the rally where the former president, Donald J. Trump, was speaking. In a series of new details, F.B.I. officials said they were investigating the incident as a possible case of domestic terrorism, and that the gunman had left behind explosives materials in the vehicle he drove to the event.
But many other details of Mr. Crooks’s life and motives were still unclear. Federal authorities said he had no apparent history of mental health issues or previous threats, and had not been on the radar of federal law enforcement.
Investigators were scouring his online presence and working to gain access to his phone, but so far had not found indications of strongly held political beliefs. In fact, the clues he left behind were confusing: He was a registered Republican but had also donated to a progressive cause in 2021; his parents were registered as a Democrat and Libertarian.
Mr. Crooks was shot and killed by Secret Service agents moments after he began firing, killing a spectator, seriously wounding two others and leaving Mr. Trump with an injury to his ear.
Kevin P. Rojek, the F.B.I. official in Pittsburgh who is leading the investigation, said Mr. Crooks is believed to have acted alone and that there were no additional public safety concerns.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the shooting was “an attack on our democracy” and that federal authorities would use every available resource to investigate the gunman.
Mr. Crooks grew up in the relatively affluent suburb of Bethel Park in the South Hills region of Pittsburgh, about an hour’s drive from the site of the rally.
His parents are both licensed counselors, according to Pennsylvania records. His father worked at a local behavioral health provider, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The neighborhood where the family lives is “pretty firmly middle class, maybe upper-middle class,” Dan Grzybek, who represents the area on the county council, said in an interview on Sunday.
Mr. Grzybek briefly met the gunman’s parents last year when he was canvassing for his run. He did not recall the exact conversation, but he remembered they seemed pleasant and were open to hear his platform.
He said it was not unusual to have families in which different members had different political beliefs.
“You’ve got a large spattering of different backgrounds and ideals, and definitely have a lot of mixed households in Bethel Park,” he said.
Just two months ago, Mr. Crooks graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County with an associate degree in engineering science, a school official said.
Mr. Crooks had been working as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Marcie Grimm, the facility’s administrator, said the organization was shocked to learn of his involvement in the shooting, saying that he had “performed his job without concern and his background check was clean.” She declined to discuss further specifics of his employment, saying that center officials were cooperating with law enforcement investigators.
According to a federal law enforcement official, dozens of F.B.I. agents, analysts, evidence technicians from multiple divisions have gathered to work the case. The F.B.I. was trying to break into the gunman’s cellphone with court approval to learn more about his plans and motive. President Biden said on Sunday that officials had not identified a motive.
The F.B.I. has not found a manifesto, and Mr. Crooks had never been under F.B.I. investigation. The official confirmed that he did not have an unusual online history for a 20-year-old man. He liked to play chess, video games and was learning how to code, according to a review of his online activities.
He did not appear to have a public profile on major social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram. The messaging platform Discord said it had found an account apparently linked to the gunman, but the company said that “it was rarely utilized and we have found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident or discuss his political views.”
Two former classmates who attended Bethel Park High School with the gunman said they had not noticed any obvious warning signs.
One of the classmates, Zach Bradford, said he had taken American history and government classes with him, that Mr. Crooks appeared to be “incredibly intelligent” and that his views in high school seemed “slightly right leaning.” Mr. Bradford said he remembered a couple of instances in which classmates gave Mr. Crooks a hard time, but he was shocked when he heard that Mr. Crooks had been identified as the shooter.
“I honestly would’ve never expected this,” he said.
The Bethel Park School District confirmed that Mr. Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and said it was cooperating with law enforcement, but it did not provide any additional details about the gunman’s time as a student.
He was one of 20 students awarded a $500 prize for math and science that year, according to local news reports, and in April 2022 appeared in a video on the school’s Facebook page, perched over a laptop as he explained coding to another student.
An AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle was found next to Mr. Crooks’s body. Investigators said on Sunday that while the weapon had been purchased by the gunman’s father, they did not know how the gunman took possession of it or whether he had used it without his father’s knowledge. Mr. Rojek of the F.B.I. said the gunman’s family was cooperating with the investigation.
Law enforcement officials found materials for two explosive devices in Mr. Crooks’s car and believe they have may have found a third at his residence, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation.
On Sunday, a clue emerged as to how Mr. Crooks may have trained in the use of firearms. The Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, a wooded facility south of Pittsburgh, that features a 200-yard-rifle range, confirmed that Mr. Crooks had been a member.
“The Club is unable to make any additional commentary in relation to this matter in light of pending law enforcement investigations,” the club said in a statement released by its legal counsel, Robert Bootay, expressing sympathy for the family of Corey Comperatore, a spectator who was killed. “Obviously, the Club fully admonishes the senseless act of violence that occurred yesterday. The Club also offers its sincerest condolences to the Comperatore family and extends prayers to all of those injured including the former President.”
Former F.B.I. officials said the bureau’s behavioral analysis unit would try to build out a profile of the gunman to understand his motivations. The F.B.I., which is running the investigation, will cast a wide net, interviewing friends and family members and searching for clues he might have left online or in a journal.
The gunman did not have a criminal history reflected in Pennsylvania’s public court records. A voter registration recordlisted Mr. Crooks as a registered Republican, though federal campaign finance records show he donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a liberal voter turnout group, through the Democratic donation platform ActBlue in January 2021.
Law enforcement officers closed down all roads leading toward the home of the suspect’s family in Bethel Park. Numerous relatives did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Mr. Grzybek, who lives about a half-mile down the same street as the gunman’s family, said the area was in shock.
“Most people just can’t believe that this has happened in our neighborhood,” he said. “I typically walk my dogs every morning, and the number of people that I’ve seen walking through our street, just driving down and just stopping to take video and pictures, I think is pretty remarkable.”
Mike Baker, Bianca Pallaro, Adam Goldman, Katie Benner, Brian Conway and Matthew Ericson contributed reporting. Jack Begg, Julie Tate and Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
he vicinity of a presidential candidate. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas called the attempted assassination a “failure” of security.
While the gunman was scaling the roof of a warehouse, three local law enforcement snipers were inside the same complex of buildings, monitoring the rally crowd.
A local police officer deployed at the rally shot at the would-be assassin as he was firing toward the former president, Richard Goldinger, the district attorney of Butler County, said in an interview on Wednesday.
But the local officer did not fire the kill shot, Mr. Goldinger said, adding that he did not know if the officer had injured the gunman. The Secret Service has said its own snipers killed the gunman.
Representative James Comer, Republican of Kentucky and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, on Wednesday issued a subpoena to Kimberly A. Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, to appear before his committee on Monday. Ms. Cheatle took responsibility for the events but said she did not plan to resign.
So far in its investigation, the F.B.I. said it has searched the gunman’s home, car and phone, conducted nearly 100 interviews with law enforcement personnel, event attendees, and other witnesses and has received “hundreds of digital media tips,” including photos and video from the scene.
Alexandra E. Petri and Hank Sanders contributed reporting.
July 14, 2024, 2:22 a.m. ETJuly 14, 2024July 14, 2024, 2:22 a.m. ET
Here’s what we know about the shooting.
A man fired “multiple shots” toward the stage during former President Donald J. Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday evening, killing one spectator and critically injuring two others, according to the Secret Service.
Mr. Trump was rushed off the stage, blood visible around his right ear, and was pronounced fine. The Secret Service said its agents had killed the shooter, whom federal law enforcement officials identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pa.
The attorney general’s office and the F.B.I. are investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt and possible domestic terrorism attack.
Here’s what we know about the shooting.
The Former President
Mr. Trump ducked quickly after the shots began and as members of the crowd began to scream. Secret Service agents then rushed Mr. Trump off the stage. As he was escorted to his motorcade, Mr. Trump, whose face and right ear were bloodied, pumped his fist in a defiant gesture to the crowd.
Video
TRANSCRIPT
0:00/2:58
How the Assassination Attempt on Trump Unfolded
Footage from the scene of the shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday shows the suspected gunman had a clear line of sight toward the former president, despite being outside the rally’s secure perimeter.
Former President Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania when shots rang out. Multiple people at the rally were filming at the time. The F.B.I. has said the shots were fired by a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour’s drive from the rally. Trump was on stage speaking for just over six minutes and talking about illegal immigration when the first sound of gunfire is heard. There are two bursts of fire. First three shots and then five shots Three seconds after the first shot is fired, he is surrounded by Secret Service agents who attempt to hurry him from the stage. They’re followed by other law enforcement personnel who are more heavily armed. For a brief moment, Trump tells them to stop until he can get his shoes. Let me get my shoes. Let me get my shoes. Sir, I got you, sir. Let me get my shoes on. When he gets up, blood is visible on his right ear. He pauses again before being rushed off stage and raises his fist in the air, appearing to mouth the word fight. The former president was standing on stage at this location. Soon after the first gunfire is heard, a video captured what appears to be the suspected shooter dead on the roof of this building. The building is the closest one to the rally that wasn’t within the security perimeter and is roughly 400 feet north of where Trump is standing. The location of the body matches the likely firing position. This is because the injury to the ear of Trump, who is facing northwest, is consistent with gunfire from that location. An audio analysis of the shots by an acoustic expert at Montana State University found the gunfire reached the stage from the same approximate distance as the body’s location. A Secret Service spokesman also said the suspected shooter fired from an elevated position and was killed. A video filmed during the rally showed a law enforcement sharpshooter positioned here on a roof roughly 400 feet from that suspected gunman and aiming in the gunman’s general direction before Trump was shot. Footage recorded after the shooting shows one spectator bleeding from a head wound in the bleachers to the north of where Trump was standing. According to the Secret Service, one person at the rally was killed and two others were critically injured. The shooting is being investigated as an assassination attempt.
How the Assassination Attempt on Trump Unfolded
2:58Footage from the scene of the shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday shows the suspected gunman had a clear line of sight toward the former president, despite being outside the rally’s secure perimeter.CreditCredit…Doug Mills/The New York Times
He later said in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
In his social media post, Mr. Trump wrote, “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.”
So far, only Mr. Trump has described his injuries; his team has not provided any formal medical briefing to the public since the shooting.
The Suspected Shooter
The shooter fired from the roof of a warehouse less than 500 feet from Mr. Trump before being killed by counter snipers. An analysis by The New York Times suggested that the gunman fired eight shots.
The F.B.I. has identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks. He graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County two months ago and was employed at a nursing home. High school classmates described Mr. Crooks as intelligent but solitary.
He was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in greater Pittsburgh, which features a 200-yard rifle range, the club’s legal counsel said in a statement.
Law enforcement officials recovered an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle from Mr. Crooks’s body. The F.B.I. said the weapon was legally purchased by the shooter’s father, but it was unclear how the shooter gained possession of the firearm.
Federal law enforcement officials discovered three explosive devices connected to Mr. Crooks. One of the devices was found in his home, and two others were found in his car parked near the rally.
Investigators have gained access to the phone of the gunman, which so far has not turned up any clear evidence of a potential motive. But in calls with lawmakers on Wednesday, F.B.I. officials said Mr. Crooks used his cellphone to search for images of Mr. Trump and President Biden, and also searched for dates of Trump appearances and the Democratic National Convention, according to a person on the private calls.
The Casualties
The man who was killed at the rally was Corey Comperatore, 50, a married father of two daughters from Sarver, Pa., who worked at a plastic manufacturing company and was a volunteer firefighter. Mr. Comperatore was fatally shot in the head after he dove to cover family members who accompanied him to the rally, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.
David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pa., and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pa. were critically injured in the shooting. Both patients are in serious but stable condition at Allegheny General Hospital, according to Bill Toland, a hospital spokesman.
The Scene
The shooting happened as Mr. Trump was holding a large outdoor rally on the grounds of the Butler Farm Show in Butler, a town of 13,000 people about 34 miles north of Pittsburgh. Mr. Trump had been showing supporters a chart about the number of border crossings just minutes into his speech when the shots rang out. Attendees screamed, “Get down, get down!” and “Shots fired!” The Secret Service quickly cleared the press area, moved the crowd out and declared the area a crime scene. Some Trump supporters held hands and prayed and then chanted “U.S.A.!”
The Investigation
It is still unclear how a would-be assassin managed to open fire in the vicinity of a presidential candidate. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas called the attempted assassination a “failure” of security.
While the gunman was scaling the roof of a warehouse, three local law enforcement snipers were inside the same complex of buildings, monitoring the rally crowd.
A local police officer deployed at the rally shot at the would-be assassin as he was firing toward the former president, Richard Goldinger, the district attorney of Butler County, said in an interview on Wednesday.
But the local officer did not fire the kill shot, Mr. Goldinger said, adding that he did not know if the officer had injured the gunman. The Secret Service has said its own snipers killed the gunman.
Representative James Comer, Republican of Kentucky and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, on Wednesday issued a subpoena to Kimberly A. Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, to appear before his committee on Monday. Ms. Cheatle took responsibility for the events but said she did not plan to resign.
So far in its investigation, the F.B.I. said it has searched the gunman’s home, car and phone, conducted nearly 100 interviews with law enforcement personnel, event attendees, and other witnesses and has received “hundreds of digital media tips,” including photos and video from the scene.
Alexandra E. Petri and Hank Sanders contributed reporting.