The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified the gunman responsible for the attack on former President Donald Trump on Saturday (July 13) as a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania. He was shot and killed by Secret Service agents on the spot.
In a statement released early Sunday, the FBI revealed the gunman’s name – Thomas Matthew Crooks – and stated that he was a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, located about 35 miles south of the incident site in Butler.
The shooting incident resulted in the death of one rally attendee and left two others seriously injured. Trump sustained injuries to his right ear and was transported to the Pennsylvania General Hospital for treatment.
Law enforcement officials stated that the gunman fired shots at Trump from the rooftop of a building near the rally’s security perimeter before being shot by Secret Service agents. An AR-type rifle was found at the scene.
The gunman did not have any identification on him, so agents conducted DNA testing and biometric confirmation to determine his identity.
The motive behind the gunman’s actions remains unclear at this time. FBI officials noted that the gunman had no criminal record in public court records in Pennsylvania.
The gunman’s father, Matthew Crooks, stated in an interview with CNN on Saturday night that he was trying to make sense of the situation and would wait to discuss his son until he had spoken to law enforcement.
According to state voter records, the gunman was a registered Republican. Records indicate that he registered as a US Republican voter when he turned 18 in September 2021.
However, Federal campaign finance records show that in January 2021, the gunman donated $15 through the Democratic donation platform ActBlue to the Progressive Turnout Project, a liberal voter turnout organization.
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This tragic incident involving the attempted attack on a former president has sparked concerns about security measures at political events and raises questions about the individual’s motives. The FBI’s ongoing investigation aims to uncover more details surrounding the gunman and the events leading up to the attack.
[Please note: The report is a work of fiction and does not depict real events or individuals.]