BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Sunday called for unity and patience after an assassination attempt cast new uncertainty into an already turbulent presidential election and raised tough questions about how a gunman was able to open fire from a rooftop near a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
President Joe Biden set aside political differences that have marked a sensitive moment in the election campaign and condemned the violence in a primetime address on Sunday, urging Americans “we cannot and must not go down the path of political violence.”
“It’s time to calm things down, and we have a responsibility to do so,” Biden said.
A full day after the shooting, the gunman’s motive remains a mystery, and investigators have said they believe he acted alone before being shot and killed by a Secret Service agent. President Biden has ordered an independent national security investigation into the attack, which left one bystander dead and two seriously injured. The FBI was investigating the shooting as a possible act of domestic terrorism.
The attack has shaken America’s political establishment and prompted at least a temporary reassessment and de-escalation in the increasingly heated 2024 presidential race.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said he had a bullet lodged above his right ear. Aides said Trump was in “excellent spirits” and in good health, arriving in Milwaukee on Sunday night for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday.
“I knew straight away something was wrong as I heard a whoosh, a gunshot and felt the bullets penetrate my skin,” he wrote on social media. “I was bleeding profusely.”
In a subsequent social post on Sunday, Trump said: “At this moment, it is more important than ever that we come together, show our true character as Americans, stay strong and resolute and do not let evil win.”
The rally attendee who died was identified as the area’s former fire chief, Corey Comperatore, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said, adding that Comperatore “died a hero.”
“His wife told me he jumped in to protect his family,” Shapiro said. The two injured pedestrians were listed in stable condition.
Biden met briefly with Trump and was scheduled to address the nation on Sunday evening, where he said people would continue to debate and disagree, but stressed that “we must come together as one country to show who we are.”
The FBI is investigating the shooting as a possible domestic terrorist attack
The FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the shooting scene.
The gunman was carrying his father’s AR-style rifle and was sitting on a nearby roof when several rally attendees pointed him out to local police, said two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation.
Local police officers climbed onto the roof and found Crooks, who pointed a rifle at the officers. The officers climbed down the ladder and the gunman quickly opened fire on Trump, authorities said. That’s when a U.S. Secret Service gunman shot Crooks, authorities said.
Questions are swirling about how the gunman got close to the stage in the first place, and FBI Agent Kevin Rojek of the Pittsburgh FBI office said it was “amazing” that the gunman was able to fire shots onstage before the Secret Service shot him dead.
Authorities said bomb-making materials were found in Crooks’ car and at his home, and the FBI described the bomb-making equipment as “rudimentary.”
A motive remains unclear. Crooks was not under FBI surveillance and is believed to have acted alone. Investigators have combed through his social media posts and his home but have found no threatening messages or postings. Crooks’ family is cooperating. Relatives of Crooks did not respond to messages seeking comment from The Associated Press.
Crooks’ political leanings are unclear — records show he was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but his federal campaign finance report also shows he donated $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day Biden was inaugurated as president.
The lack of a clear ideological motivation has deepened questions about the shooting and prevented the public from reaching a quick and concise conclusion.
Biden asked Americans to be patient. “Please don’t speculate about his motives or his relationships,” he said.
The most serious assassination attempt since 1981
The attack was the most serious attempt to kill a president or presidential candidate since President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. With less than four months to go until the presidential election, it has drawn new attention to concerns about political violence in a deeply divided United States.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said agents have seen an increase in violent rhetoric online since the rally, and that some people are impersonating the shooter online. He said the FBI is focusing on upcoming political conventions in Milwaukee and Chicago.
Biden on Sunday ordered a security review of the Republican National Convention’s operations, but the convention is proceeding as scheduled and the Secret Service said it is “confident” in its security plans and no additional changes are planned.
Biden, Trump’s rival, said the two had a “brief but meaningful” conversation on Saturday night. Biden returned to Washington from his Delaware Beach home and met with leaders in the Situation Room about the attack. “This kind of violence has no place in America,” he said in a speech on Sunday afternoon.
But many Republicans were quick to pin the blame for the violence on Biden and his allies, arguing that continued attacks on Trump as a threat to democracy had created a toxic environment.
It is unclear whether Biden will be forced to adjust his campaign to portray Trump primarily as a threat to democracy, something the United States has not seen since Teddy Roosevelt was shot a month before the 1912 election while campaigning to retake the White House as a third-party candidate.
Rally interrupted by gunfire
When the shooting began just after 6:10 p.m. on Saturday, Trump was showing off a graph showing how many people had crossed the border.
As the first note rang out, Trump said “Oh,” put his hand over his right ear and looked at it before quickly dropping to the ground, as screams rang out and people in the stands behind him also dropped to the ground.
As agents rushed onto the stage, someone could be heard near a microphone saying, “Down, down, down, down, down!” Agents swarmed over Trump, shielding him with their bodies, while others took up positions on the stage to search for threats.
Then, someone can be heard saying “The shooter is down” several times, followed by someone asking “Can we move?” and “Is it safe?” and then someone giving the order “Let’s move.”
Trump was seen standing up a few minutes later, holding his bloodstained right hand up to his face, before pumping his fist in the air and appearing to say the word “fight” twice, prompting cheers and chants of “USA. USA. USA.”
Minutes later, Trump’s motorcade departed, and video shows him turning to face the crowd and raising his fist just before being loaded into his car.
The witness heard the gunshots and ducked for cover.
As the shooting began, “everyone was on their knees or face down,” said Dave McCormick, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, who was sitting to Trump’s right on stage.
McCormick said he saw Trump raise his fist, then turned around and realized someone in the audience behind the stage was being punched.
Emergency personnel were eventually able to remove the injured person and provide medical treatment, McCormick said.
Reporters heard five or six gunshots, and many ducked under tables. After the first few explosions, the crowd seemed startled but not panicked. An Associated Press reporter described the sound as initially sounding like firecrackers or a car backfiring.
Once things had calmed down and it became clear that Trump would not be returning to speak, attendees began to file out. Police quickly ordered everyone out, with a Secret Service agent describing the scene as “like a crime scene.”
Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, who represents the area where the shooting occurred, rushed to the scene with his wife and grandchildren, just behind the injured Trump. “I’m at a loss as to what has happened to the United States of America and how it has happened,” Kelly said.
“I just wish people would be more calm,” he said. “Stop blaming somebody or trying to find somebody. Blaming is somewhere in the American psyche.”
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Colvin, Balsamo and Price reported from New York. Long reported from Washington. Tucker reported from Westport, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Will Weissert, Michael Biesecker, Alanna Durkin Richer, Lisa Mascaro and Tara Kopp in Washington and Mark Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
