Former US President Trump was attacked and injured in his right ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday evening, July 13th. The FBI confirmed later that night that the shooting incident at Trump’s rally was an assassination attempt. Trump has since left Pennsylvania.
In a press conference held at midnight on Saturday, the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office director, Kevin Rojek, stated, “Tonight, we experienced an assassination attempt against former President Trump.”
Authorities are actively searching for the perpetrator and investigating their motives, while urging the public to provide any helpful information.
Rojek mentioned that the FBI has deployed investigative personnel, evidence response teams, and other personnel from across the country.
He added that law enforcement has not yet identified the shooter. “We are close to determining the identity (of the shooter), once we are 100% certain of who this person is, we will share with the media. We have not yet confirmed the motive,” he said.
Due to the absence of identification on the suspect, the FBI is using “biometric confirmation” to identify the shooter.
For precautionary measures, the police have deployed bomb squads at the scene of the shooting.
Additionally, two Republican senators from the Senate Homeland Security Committee have called for an investigation and hearing on the attack against Trump.
Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley posted on X, stating that the committee must investigate the assassination attempt and the attempted mass murder, and uncover the root causes.
Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott requested a hearing on the shooting incident before August 1st.
“The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) has oversight responsibility and an obligation to demand the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service respond to the incident’s causes and what measures are being taken to investigate this assassination attempt and ensure such events do not recur,” Scott stated in a release.
Democratic Senator Gary Peters chairs the committee.
Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania announced at midnight that Trump had left the Butler area.
“Under the protection of the Secret Service and with the assistance of Pennsylvania law enforcement, former President Trump has now left the Butler area,” Shapiro said in a statement posted on X.
He wished Trump a speedy recovery.
Shapiro mentioned that federal law enforcement officials will lead the investigation into the shooting incident. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania police will lead the investigation into other victims of the shooting. He stated that he has been in contact with Pennsylvania law enforcement and spoke with President Biden, who “expressed full support.”
Shapiro acknowledged that Biden understands “how painful and shocking this event is for many of our fellow Pennsylvanians” and called for respect for our American colleagues, jointly condemning the unacceptable violence witnessed in Butler.