Federal investigators are continuing to investigate the shooter’s motive. Shots were fired at a rally for former President Donald Trump on Saturday., Brushing past the former president’s ears The incident left one bystander dead and two others seriously injured.
In a speech from the Oval Office Sunday night, President Biden said the shooter’s motive remained unclear and urged Americans to reject politically motivated violence.
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence, any violence. End. No exceptions. We cannot allow this violence to become normal,” Biden said. “The political rhetoric in this country has become very heated. It’s time to cool off. We all have a responsibility to do that.”
More details about the gunman, identified as 20-year-old, emerged Sunday. Thomas Matthew CrooksA Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, native was killed after opening fire. Rudimentary bomb-making materials were found in the gunman’s home and vehicle. He was a member of a local gun club, and a former classmate said he tried out for the high school rifle team but was not accepted.
The FBI is investigating whether Crooks was a politically motivated domestic violent extremist, and investigators are still scrutinizing his background. Justice Department officials told reporters that investigators have Crooks’ cellphone and are examining it at the FBI’s Quantico, Virginia, lab.
According to law enforcement sources, bystanders spotted Crooks with a rifle on a roof about 400 feet from where Trump spoke in Butler, Pennsylvania, and called authorities. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office said another officer lifted a local police officer up onto the roof and lifted him off. Crooks pointed the rifle at the officer, who dropped and fell.
Crooks turned to the rally and fired six to eight shots using an AR-style weapon. A Secret Service sniper soon shot him dead. Trump was quickly dragged off the stage by armed agents, blood streaming down the side of his face.
“Only God can stop the unthinkable from happening,” President Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, Sunday morning.
Earlier, Mr Biden said he had ordered an independent review of security to assess what happened at the rally and had directed the Secret Service to review security measures for the rally this week. Republican National Convention In Milwaukee, where Trump will be formally nominated as the party’s nominee. Trump arrived in the city Sunday evening.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden had a phone call Saturday night that a White House official described as “good, short and respectful.”
