The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced in a statement today that it has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks as a suspect in the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Crooks, 20, was shot and killed by security officers after allegedly opening fire on the 78-year-old Republican presidential candidate, wounding him in the ear, during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
State voter records show he was registered as a Republican.
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, age 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as a suspect in connection to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement cited by NBC and CBS.
Law enforcement officials earlier told reporters they had tentatively identified a suspect but were not ready to make him public, and they had not yet determined a motive. The FBI, the lead federal law enforcement agency on the investigation, has said the shooting was being treated as an “assassination attempt” on the former president.
The shocking gunfire left Trump shot in the ear, one bystander dead and two seriously injured, and Trump, blood streaming from his face, was hurriedly escorted off the stage by Secret Service agents.
The shots were heard just after President Trump began speaking at his final rally before the Republican National Convention.
Thousands of supporters were at the scene when the shooting happened, which was broadcast live on news channels.
Donald Trump claims bullet penetrated part of right ear
Donald Trump spoke for the first time about the attack at a rally, saying he was “shot above my right ear.”
“I heard the whoosh and the gunshots and felt the bullets cutting through my skin and I knew right away something was wrong,” Trump said on his website Truth Social.
“That’s when I realised what was going on because there was a lot of bleeding,” he added.
He also thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “quick response.”
“I can’t believe this kind of behavior would happen in our country,” he said.
The shocking incident comes just under four months before the November 5 US presidential election, in which Trump is due to face Democrat Joe Biden in a rematch.
