Juliana Morello
A shooting that occurred at a Trump rally in Butler County on Saturday, July 13, is being investigated as an assassination attempt, with motives still unclear.
Minutes into former President Donald Trump’s speech at the Butler Farm Show Grounds, which drew thousands of spectators, shots rang out and Trump was whisked off the stage by Secret Service. He was seen with blood on his ear and face, and with his fist in the air.
The shooting left one spectator dead and two critically injured. Trump later revealed on his social media platform, Truth Social, that his ear was grazed by a bullet.
“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 was 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,” wrote Trump. “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
The shooter, who was killed by a Secret Service counter-assault team, has since been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Bethel Park resident. He was positioned on a rooftop about 400 feet from the venue’s stage, and was armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle. There are reports that attendees of the rally saw the shooter on top of the building and reported it to the police prior to the shooting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now looking into the incident’s serious lapse in security.
Though motives are still being investigated, leaders around the world have condemned the attack. Public officials on both sides of the aisle have responded with condemnation as well. Among these, former President Barack Obama released a statement, writing that “there is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy.”
The White House released a statement from President Joe Biden the day of the shooting, writing that “we must unite as one nation” to condemn this kind of violence in America. Biden also spoke about the attack in a national address from the Oval Office on Sunday, July 14.
“All of us now face a time of testing as the election approaches,” said Biden. “There is no place in America for this kind of violence — for any violence. Ever. Period. No exception. We can’t allow this violence to be normalized.”
It was also reported that President Biden and former President Donald Trump spoke on the phone about the incident. The call was described by a White House official as “good, short and respectful.”
