Former President Trump survived an assassination attempt at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Gunshots rang out as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee addressed his supporters, striking Trump and three others. One spectator was killed, and two were critically injured. The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a local resident.

Fast facts

• Former President Trump was shot at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024
• Trump ducked to the ground and was surrounded by Secret Service agents, who evacuated him from the scene. He later posted on Truth Social that a bullet “pierced the upper part of my right ear”
• Three spectators were hit by gunfire. One person was killed and two others critically injured, authorities said
• The FBI is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt. The shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks

The man authorities say attempted to assassinate former President Trump had explosives inside his car found parked near the Pennsylvania rally, according to a new report.

Law enforcement discovered the car, which was driven by Thomas Matthew Crooks, parked near the Trump rally in Butler, Pa., The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people briefed on the investigation.

The Journal said authorities dispatched bomb technicians after police received multiple reports of suspicious packages around near where the shooter was located.

Crooks reportedly shot Trump from a rooftop perch some 130 yards away during a rally in the small town, striking the upper part of Trump’s right ear while the former president was speaking to rallygoers ahead of next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

One attendee was killed, and two others were injured during the incident, the FBI said , and Crooks was shot dead. The victims have not been identified yet.

First pictures emerge of Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks

Thomas Matthew Crooks graduates from high school in 2022. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

Thomas Matthew Crooks , the shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania, has been pictured for the first time.

Crooks, a 20-year-old man from western Pennsylvania, reportedly shot Trump from a rooftop perch some 130 yards away during a rally in Butler, striking the upper part of Trump’s right ear while the former president was speaking to rallygoers ahead of next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The New York Post obtained photographs of Crooks from his high school yearbook and 2022 graduation ceremony. 

U.S. Secret Service agents returned fire upon Crooks and killed him, but not before he got off several rounds directed at Trump. Three members of the crowd were struck, one killed and two others critically injured. 

Photographs taken from the scene of the shooting on Saturday show armed U.S. Secret Service agents standing over Crooks’ body after the assassination attempt. 

Former first lady Melania Trump speaks out after attempt on her husband’s life

Former first lady Melania Trump released a statement after the attempted assassination of her husband, former President Trump, at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. 

“I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans,” Trump wrote. “We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.” 

“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.” 

Melania Trump offered her “sincerest sympathy” to the other victims, including the family of the person who died after being shot. 

“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.” 

“Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love.” 

Split-second turn could have saved Trump’s life, expert says

A split-second decision could have saved former President Trump’s life during the shocking assassination attempt at his outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, according to Israeli Special Operations veteran Aaron Cohen.

Hours after the incident, Cohen told Fox News’ Trace Gallagher that, if the former president had not turned his head when the shot was fired, he would not have survived.

“God must have been watching down on the president,” he said.

“Snipers are typically trained to shoot into the cerebral cortex of the cerebellum at the top of the brain stem. It incapacitates you, it keeps your hands from moving… It’s about the distance of the shot. One hundred-thirty yards. That’s a putt. Anyone can put a two, two, three, optic on a target from that distance and hit it. It’s not a difficult shot to make…”

He continued, “It’s very clear to me that had the president’s head been straight, and if that round had gone into the ear, it would have been lights out. The fact that he just happened to be turned this way with that shot coming in is what saved his life.”

Story courtesy of Fox News

Former President Donald Trump and Republican Nominee hopeful appears to have been the target of an assassination attempt as he spoke during a rally in Pennsylvania today (Saturday). The former president’s ear was covered in blood from what he says was a gunshot. He was quickly pulled away by Secret Service agents and his campaign says he is “fine.”

A local prosecutor says the suspected gunman and at least one attendee are dead. The Secret Service says two spectators were critically injured.

Posting on his Truth Social media site about two and a half hours after the shooting, Trump says a bullet “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,” he said in the post. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

The attack, by a shooter who law enforcement officials say was then killed by the Secret Service, was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It comes amid a deeply polarized political atmosphere, just four months from the presidential elections and days before Trump is to be officially named the Republican nominee at his party’s convention.

Trump campaign and RNC release joint statement following assassination attempt at rally

As was communicated earlier this evening, President Trump is doing well and grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their fast action. President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States. As our party’s nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again.- Donald J. Trump for President 2024 Senior Advisors Susie Wiles & Chris LaCivita & Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chairman Lara Trump

“The FBI has assumed the role of the lead federal law enforcement agency in the investigation of the incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred earlier today in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement on Saturday night, obtained by Fox News Digital.

“Special agents of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office responded immediately, to include crisis response team members and evidence response technicians. We will continue to support this investigation with the full resources of the FBI, alongside our partners at the U.S. Secret Service and state and local law enforcement,” it said.

“Anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is asked to call our tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement on Saturday night condemning the shooting at former President Trump’s Pennsylvania rally.

The Biden official said he was actively looking into the situation.

“I have been briefed on the shooting at former President Trump’s rally, and have briefed the President. The FBI, ATF, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the Department’s National Security Division are currently working with the Secret Service as well as state and local law enforcement partners on the ground in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Garland said.

“My heart is with the former President, those injured, and the family of the spectator killed in this horrific attack.”

He finished, “We will not tolerate violence of any kind, and violence like this is an attack on our democracy. The Justice Department will bring every available resource to bear to this investigation.” 

A witness at Trump’s rally, Brandon Christie, shared his firsthand experience of the shooting on ‘Hannity’ Saturday.

“We’re all just there, you know, looking up at the screen that he has up. And I heard a loud pop and I thought it was like the speaker cracking and we heard another one.”

“And then people start screaming. And so we all just hit the ground. And I started looking around as what was going on, and I saw one of the Secret Service guys, he was firing back. There was probably 6 or 7 shots total, maybe. And then I woke up in the bleachers and people were just screaming and crying, and there’s just blood everywhere.”

“There’s just there’s blood all over his family members. There was a guy up there trying to administer CPR. It just. It all happened so quick. Like, still trying to process everything, and we’re just all down on the ground, and people down on the ground are crying. We don’t know what to do. People are just screaming and crying.”

“And then all of a sudden, people will start standing up and we start walking out and we locked on top of the building. And there are Secret Service up there. They’re standing around what we now know was the shooter. At that time, we really didn’t know where it was coming from.”

“Now no one really started running, we just all kind of hit the ground and people were yelling for paramedics and police to come. And there was probably 6 or 7 state troopers that just all of a sudden showed up out of nowhere, and they pulled him off the bleachers. And he was dead at that time.”

Story courtesy of Fox News