The FBI confirmed early Sunday the identity of the gunman who shot former President Donald Trump as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Crooks opened fire on Mr. Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday night from the rooftop of a building less than 150 yards from the event stage in Butler County, Pennsylvania, where the presumptive Republican nominee was speaking. Crooks was quickly shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene of the shooting, a source told The Associated Press.
The political leanings of Crooks were not immediately clear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Biden was sworn in to office.
Asked if law enforcement did not know the shooter was on the roof until he began firing, Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh field office, responded, “that is our assessment at this time.”
“It is surprising” that the shooter was able to get off as many rounds as were fired, Mr. Rojek said at a press conference. He added that “all the details of that will come out later investigation.”
Mr. Trump was struck on the right ear but survived and is reported by aides to be “fine.” He was walking unaided when he arrived in New Jersey early Sunday.
One rally attendee was killed and two others were critically injured, the Secret Service said.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania State Police said the Secret Service was responsible for surveying the venue where the rally was held. Asked whether there was anything about the venue that made it particularly difficult to secure, State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens deferred to the Secret Service, which was not present at the news conference.
A Trump supporter said he saw the man with a rifle crawling on top of the roof of a building behind the campaign rally stage. According to the eyewitness, as reported to the BBC, rally-goers outside the event spotted the man “bear crawling” across the roof, carrying a rifle.
The witnesses frantically alerted law enforcement and were surprised when Mr. Trump was not immediately ushered from the stage.
“We’re pointing at the guy, crawling up the roof,” the witness said. “He had a rifle, you could clearly see he had a rifle. I’m thinking to myself, why is Trump still speaking? Why have they not pulled him off the stage?”
The witness said he alerted Secret Service on the roof to the crawling man with the rifle, but Mr. Trump was not removed from the stage.
“The next thing you know, five shots rang out,” the witness said, adding he is “100 percent” certain the shots came from the rifle of the man crawling across the roof.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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