Loner Shooter Targets Trump: Secret Service Strikes Back
Submitted by MAGA
Posted 95 days ago
The FBI has confirmed the identity of the would-be assassin who attempted to kill former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Crooks was perched on the roof of a manufacturing plant over 130 yards away from the rally when he opened fire on the former president. He was armed with an AR-style semi-automatic assault rifle that his father had purchased. Crooks was wearing a shirt for a popular gun YouTube channel, Demolition Ranch.
Secret Service snipers responded quickly to the attack, returning fire and killing Crooks. However, the gunman was able to squeeze off about eight rounds before he was taken out. Trump was grazed in the ear by one of the bullets, and a hero volunteer firefighter was killed in the attack. Two others were wounded.
Crooks was a bullied loner, according to former classmates. He was a loner who was "relentlessly" bullied in high school, according to one former classmate. He had a penchant for wearing hunting attire and playing video games in class.
It is not immediately clear why Crooks targeted the former president. There was no known manifesto or clear motive posted online by the gunman as of Sunday. A search of Crooks' devices was slowed when authorities found possible explosive devices in his car and at his home.
The gun Crooks allegedly used was purchased by his father, according to reports. Crooks made a $15 donation to the liberal ActBlue political action committee on President Joe Biden's Inauguration Day in 2021, when he was 17. However, when he turned 18 the following September, Crooks registered with the Republican Party, online state records showed.
The attack on Trump was captured in horrifying video footage, showcasing the former president getting tackled to the ground by Secret Service agents. Trump rose to his feet and told his security detail to "wait" before pumping his fist and shouting "fight" to the badly shaken crowd.
Trump was treated at a Pennsylvania hospital for wounds to his ear before he was seen departing his private plane, Trump Force One, at Newark Liberty International Airport just after midnight. He was flanked by Secret Service as he walked down to the tarmac, and appeared to still be wearing the same navy suit he had on when he was shot.
The rally-goer who was killed in the attack has not been identified. Two spectators were critically wounded in the attack.
The attack on Trump is the first serious assassination attempt of a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It comes just days before Trump is to be officially named the Republican nominee at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The incident has sparked outrage and condemnation from both sides of the political aisle. Trump thanked law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during the attack and extended his condolences to the family of the person who was killed and to the family of another person who was badly injured.
President Joe Biden also issued a statement and addressed the nation shortly after the assassination attempt, though he failed to describe it in such terms. His campaign also suspended all advertising on Saturday evening in response to the shooting.
The Secret Service has launched an investigation into the attack. The FBI is also assisting in the investigation.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Sources:
tmz.com
nypost.com
thenationalpulse.com
Crooks was perched on the roof of a manufacturing plant over 130 yards away from the rally when he opened fire on the former president. He was armed with an AR-style semi-automatic assault rifle that his father had purchased. Crooks was wearing a shirt for a popular gun YouTube channel, Demolition Ranch.
Secret Service snipers responded quickly to the attack, returning fire and killing Crooks. However, the gunman was able to squeeze off about eight rounds before he was taken out. Trump was grazed in the ear by one of the bullets, and a hero volunteer firefighter was killed in the attack. Two others were wounded.
Crooks was a bullied loner, according to former classmates. He was a loner who was "relentlessly" bullied in high school, according to one former classmate. He had a penchant for wearing hunting attire and playing video games in class.
It is not immediately clear why Crooks targeted the former president. There was no known manifesto or clear motive posted online by the gunman as of Sunday. A search of Crooks' devices was slowed when authorities found possible explosive devices in his car and at his home.
The gun Crooks allegedly used was purchased by his father, according to reports. Crooks made a $15 donation to the liberal ActBlue political action committee on President Joe Biden's Inauguration Day in 2021, when he was 17. However, when he turned 18 the following September, Crooks registered with the Republican Party, online state records showed.
The attack on Trump was captured in horrifying video footage, showcasing the former president getting tackled to the ground by Secret Service agents. Trump rose to his feet and told his security detail to "wait" before pumping his fist and shouting "fight" to the badly shaken crowd.
Trump was treated at a Pennsylvania hospital for wounds to his ear before he was seen departing his private plane, Trump Force One, at Newark Liberty International Airport just after midnight. He was flanked by Secret Service as he walked down to the tarmac, and appeared to still be wearing the same navy suit he had on when he was shot.
The rally-goer who was killed in the attack has not been identified. Two spectators were critically wounded in the attack.
The attack on Trump is the first serious assassination attempt of a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It comes just days before Trump is to be officially named the Republican nominee at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The incident has sparked outrage and condemnation from both sides of the political aisle. Trump thanked law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during the attack and extended his condolences to the family of the person who was killed and to the family of another person who was badly injured.
President Joe Biden also issued a statement and addressed the nation shortly after the assassination attempt, though he failed to describe it in such terms. His campaign also suspended all advertising on Saturday evening in response to the shooting.
The Secret Service has launched an investigation into the attack. The FBI is also assisting in the investigation.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Sources:
tmz.com
nypost.com
thenationalpulse.com
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