The FBI and Secret Service on Sunday are continuing to investigate the possible motive of the gunman who opened fire during former President Donald Trump’s rally, grazing the former president’s ear, leaving one bystander dead, and two critically wounded.
More details emerged Sunday about the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who was killed by a Secret Service sniper after he opened fire. Rudimentary bomb-making material was found at the gunman’s residence and in his vehicle. He was the member of a gun club, and a former classmate said that he had tried out for the high school rifle team but failed to make it.
The FBI is investigating whether Crooks was a politically motivated homegrown domestic violent extremist; his motive is not yet known.
President Biden is continuing to receive updates from top administration officials. He spoke briefly in Delaware after the shooting and then said Sunday at the White House that he has called for an independent review of the security at the rally to assess what took place. And he has directed the Secret Service to examine security measures for this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Mr. Biden will be addressing the nation at 8 p.m. ET Sunday from the Oval Office.
Law enforcement sources said that bystanders spotted Crooks shortly before the shooting and reported his presence to law enforcement. But officials momentarily lost track of the gunman, and minutes later, Crooks crawled up the side of a shed, “popped up” on the roof, and immediately began shooting, according to officials. Crooks fired six to eight rounds using an AR-style weapon, approximately 400 feet from the podium.
Suspicious devices were found in Crooks’ vehicle, a law enforcement source confirmed Sunday. The FBI and Secret Service are still combing through Crooks’ background.
Trump and Mr. Biden spoke Saturday night in what a White House official characterized as a “good, short and respectful” call.
Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, Sunday morning, saying it “was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”
“We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed,” he wrote. “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”
The Republican National Convention is expected to continue as planned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this week, under heightened security.
