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Explosive devices have reportedly been discovered inside the car of the suspected shooter who tried to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday — using a gun believed to have been purchased by the 20-year-old’s father just six months earlier.
In a harrowing day for America coming just four months before the nation heads to the polls, the former president survived a surreal attempt on his life when shots were fired towards the stage mere minutes into his rally speech in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump’s ear was grazed by a bullet but he escaped largely unscathed, while a 50-year-old rallygoer died and two other spectators were critically injured in the attack.
With the nation reeling and questions mounting about the actions taken by Secret Service at the event, new details are beginning to emerge about the gunman and his potential motive.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania native, had parked his vehicle close to the rally in Butler on Saturday, before he climbed on top of the roof of a nearby building with a vantage point of the stage, according to authorities.
Follow our live blog for updates on the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump
Just after 6 p.m., about 15 minutes after Trump began his speech, the gunman opened fire.
Shots rang out and screams filled the air as the former president ducked for cover behind the podium and Secret Service agents leaped on stage to protect him.
Secret Service agents shot the suspect dead moments later, and Trump was swiftly rushed off stage and driven off in his motorcade.
In a historic image that has already been plastered across unofficial merchandise, the former president was seen defiantly raising his fist in the air to supporters while blood streamed down his face.
Sources told The Washington Post that Crooks’ vehicle was later recovered by investigators and explosives were discovered inside.
The insiders also revealed that the AR-style rifle used by the 20-year-old in the attack had been legally bought by his father six months earlier, according to an urgent trace conducted by the ATF.
For now, the motive for the attack remains a mystery, though online records reveal that Crooks had been registered to vote as a Republican.
That said, federal campaign finance reports show that he had also made a $15 contribution to a Democratic-aligned political action committee called Progressive Turnout Project on January 20, 2021.
For Crooks’ family members, the motive for the horrific attack also remains unclear.
The gunman’s uncle, Mark Crooks, told The Independent on Sunday morning that he had “no idea” what might have motivated the shooting.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said.
While he lives just 20 miles from Crooks’ hometown of Bethel Park, Mark said he hadn’t had any contact with his nephew for years.
“I haven’t seen the kid since he was little,” Mark Crooks said. “He never wanted to bother [with maintaining a relationship], so we don’t see him.”
The identities of the shooting victims are also coming to light, with the man killed in the attack being named by his family and the Pennsylvania governor as 50-year-old Corey Comperatore.
The former fire chief died protecting his family members from the attack, the governor said.
Comperatore’s heartbroken sister Dawn Comperatore Schafer posted a devastating tribute on Facebook where she spoke of the “terrible nightmare” the family is now faced with.
“The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most,” she wrote on Facebook.
“He was a hero that shielded his daughters. His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and unimaginable.
“My baby brother just turned 50 and had so much life left to experience. Hatred has no limits and love has no bounds. Pray for my sister-in-law, nieces, my mother, sister, me and his nieces and nephews as this feels like a terrible nightmare but we know it is our painful reality.”
A GoFundMe campaign authorized by Trump to support the victims of this “brutal and horrific assassination attempt” had topped $1 million as of late morning on Sunday.
The conditions of the other two victims, who have not been named, remain unclear.
Republican lawmaker Ronny Jackson revealed that his nephew was also injured in the attack, as his family sat close to the front of the crowd when the shooting unfolded.
His nephew, who was not identified, was “grazed” in the neck by a bullet but “thankfully his injury was not serious and he is doing well,” the Texas rep said.
The former president has now called for Americans to “stand United” following the assassination attempt as he said that “God alone” had “prevented the unthinkable from happening.”
“We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness,” he wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday morning.
His comments were also echoed by former first lady Melania Trump who thanked people from all across the political aisle for coming together in condemning the violence.
In a rare moment of solidarity between the longtime foes, President Joe Biden and Trump spoke on Saturday night after the former president was released from the hospital.
The president, who is fighting to remain in the 2024 race this November, is expected to address the nation from the White House on Sunday.
Questions are now being asked about the precautions and safety measures taken by Secret Service prior to the shooting.
The gunman was located just 150 yards away from the stage and witnesses have claimed that they spotted him “bear crawling” on the roof prior to the shooting and tried to alert law enforcement and Secret Service agents.
“I’m standing there pointing at him for two to three minutes,” a witness named Greg told the BBC.
With criticism building, House Republicans are launching an investigation and demanding “answers” from the agency’s Director Kimberley Cheatle at an “emergency hearing” on July 22.
