Suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed by Secret Service agents moments after allegedly firing shots at President Trump.
Suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed by Secret Service agents moments after he allegedly fired a shot at Trump as he was speaking on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The attack left Trump shot in the ear, one spectator dead and two seriously injured.
The FBI said it was investigating to determine a motive for the attack.
Donald Trump after the shooting
Crooks’ father, Matthew, told CNN he would wait to speak publicly about his son until he had spoken to police and they knew more about the incident.
Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday when the incident occurred.
He was holding up a graph showing the number of people crossing the border when explosions began to ring out just after 6:10pm local time.
The former president grimaced and stretched his right hand out to the side of his head, blood streaming from his face.
He quickly ducked down as Secret Service agents rushed onto the stage and surrounded him.
Screams erupted from the audience as the explosions continued.
The crowd cheered as Trump rose again, pumped his fist and was escorted to the motorcade. Police evacuated the scene shortly after Trump left the stage.
Authorities said one rally participant was killed and two other spectators, all identified as men, were seriously injured.
The suspect, who attacked from a “high position” outside the rally venue, was shot dead.
The FBI took over the investigation.
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement agencies for their swift response to the shooting that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Trump wrote after the incident.
“Most importantly, we would like to express our condolences to the family of the person who died at the rally, and to the family of another person who was seriously injured.”
“I can’t believe this kind of behavior would happen in our country.”
He added: “I heard a whoosh and a gunshot and felt the bullets cutting through my skin so I knew straight away something was wrong.”
“There was a lot of bleeding and we realized what was going on. God bless America!”
