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Editor’s note, July 14, 1:55 am: This is a rapidly evolving news story that will be updated with new verified information.
On Saturday, July 13, gunshots rang out as former President Donald Trump addressed a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania. Shortly after, Secret Service agents rushed the stage, and Trump was escorted off — his face smeared with blood.
While many details are still unknown, the FBI confirmed late Saturday night that it was investigating the incident as an assassination attempt on the former president. Trump wrote on Truth Social that a bullet had pierced his upper right ear.
Early Sunday morning, the FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Pennsylvania, as the shooter.
Amid rampant rumor and speculation, here are the facts as we know them right now — and what we still need to learn to fully understand what happened at the rally.
What we know
- The events were televised live on Fox News and CNN. Keeping in mind that video footage from a single angle is sometimes misleading, here is what viewers saw and heard:
- At 6:15 pm, a shooter fired “multiple shots” from an “elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the Secret Service said in a statement Saturday night. One person was killed and two were critically injured.
- In a statement, the Trump campaign confirmed the former president “is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.”
- Trump posted on Truth Social, “I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country.”
- The FBI identified the shooter in a statement as a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, Thomas Matthew Crooks.
- President Joe Biden issued a statement saying, “I’m grateful to hear that [Trump is] safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information … There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
- Biden also briefly addressed the nation, stating, “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. … We cannot condone this.” The Biden presidential campaign has temporarily pulled advertising in the wake of the shooting, and Biden spoke with Trump on Saturday night — although details about that call have not been made public.
What we don’t know
- No information has been released about the shooter’s motive.
- The identities of any other injured or killed audience members at the rally have not been released to the public.
- The weapon or weapons used in the attack, whether firearms or a high-caliber air rifle, have not been identified by investigators.
- The Secret Service has not yet commented on how an armed person or persons were able to come within range of the former president.
