Donald Trump’s campaign leaders planned a convention opening this week to begin with the positive message to attract moderate voters and people of colour. But then the shooting happened, shaking the foundation of the American politics on July 13, 2024 leaving one person dead and two others critically injured.
Suddenly, worries about political violence and the safety of the country overtook worries about the Democrats’ chaos after the debate, the GOP’s possible plan for running the country, and even Donald Trump’s criminal charges. During their four-day gathering in Milwaukee, the likely Republican nominee and his friends will show the country that they are united and ready to “fight,” as Donald Trump yelled while being rushed to safety by Secret Service agents at his Pennsylvania event on Saturday. There is a lot of anger and worry in the Donal Trump’s likely republican nominee, even though many top Republicans are calling for peace and less stress.
Identifying the Shooter.
The suspected shooter was killed at the scene of the crime. He attacked Trump from a high place outside the gathering site. Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, has been named as the suspect. Police are said to have found an AR-style firearm at the scene. The FBI said that they haven’t found a reason for the attempted murder yet and that the investigation is still going on.
The state’s voting records show that Crooks was a registered Republican. An AP story says that he did give $15 to a leftist political action group on January 20, 2021, the day that Joe Biden became president.
Who was Thomas Mathew Crooks?
The FBI said that Thomas Crooks wasn’t carrying ID, so DNA and face recognition technology were used to find him.
A local newspaper said that he finished from Bethel Park High School in 2022 with a $500 (£385) prize for math and science. He was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, which is about 70 km (43 miles) from where the attempt was made.
The local nursing home kitchen where Crook worked was only a short drive from his home, and workers there said he passed a background check and didn’t cause any problems.
CCAC, or the Community College of Allegheny, says that Crook went to school there from September 2021 to May 2024. He got his diploma and got an associate’s degree in engineering science.
According to a statement sent to the BBC by the college, he finished “with high honours” and that a review of his records showed no problems with discipline, behaviour, or safety.
US news sources say that he was a registered Republican based on state voting data.
An election gift form and news stories say he also gave $15 to the socialist campaign group ActBlue in 2021.
The Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, a nearby gun club, told the BBC that he had been a member for at least a year.
The huge club is south of Pittsburgh and is known as “one of the best shooting ranges in the tri-state area” of West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. More than 2,000 people belong to it.
It has many gun ranges, one with targets up to 171 meters away and designed for high-power rifles.
“Terrible, terrible thing” happened, said Bill Sellitto, the owner of the club, to the BBC. The club is very hard to get into; only members are allowed inside the huge building.
The organization’s lawyer, Robert S. Bootay III, told the BBC, “Obviously, the club fully condemns the senseless act of violence.”
Investigators say that Crooks’ father bought the AR-style firearm that was used to shoot at Trump.
There is no evidence that the father knew what was going to happen, but it is not clear how the gun got into the hands of his son.
Two police officers who did not want to be named told AP that Crooks’ father bought the gun at least six months ago.
CBS, the BBC’s US news partner, reports that the police also say Crooks bought a box of 50 rounds of ammo on the day of the protest.
US news outlets say Crooks was wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a YouTube station known for videos about guns and building things. Millions of people have subscribed to the station, which has movies about different guns and explosives.
Sources in law enforcement told CBS the day after the shooting that Crooks’ car had some strange things in it.
CBS said the suspect had a piece of widely available gear that looked like it could turn on the devices.
Bomb experts were sent to the scene to keep the devices safe and look into them.
The victims in the shooting?
In the killing, one person died and two others were injured badly.
CBS News says that all three are adult guys who were in the crowd.
Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said at a news conference on Sunday that the man who died was Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer fire chief who died when he “dived on his family” to protect them.
He said Comperatore “died a hero.”
David Dutch (57 years old) and James Copenhaver (74 years old) were the two people hurt in the attack.
The men are both from Pennsylvania and are in stable health.
Meredith O’Rourke, who is the national finance director for the Trump campaign, set up a GoFundMe page right after the attack. Donations went to the families of the people who were hurt.
More than £340,000 (£267,000) has been raised so far.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social page that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear” and that he could feel the bullet “ripping through the skin.”
As Trump’s bodyguards rushed him away, blood could be seen on his ear and face.
According to a message on the website of the Republican National Committee (RNC), Trump is “doing well” and is thankful to police.
The next day, on Sunday, he went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to attend the Republican National Convention.
How far was Thomas Matthew Crooks from Donald Trump?
Before Trump was shot, a witness told the BBC that he had seen a guy with a gun on the top of a building. The witness believes that the man was Crooks.
TMZ was able to collect video footage that reveals the exact moment when the shooting started.
“an AR-style rifle” was the weapon that the attacker used to commence fire, according to CBS News.
Additionally, law enforcement officials informed CBS that he was reported by a witness and recognized as a suspicious person by police, but that investigators lost sight of him before the shooting occurred. This information was confirmed by the sources.
The shooter was killed by a sniper from the Secret Service who returned fire, according to the authorities.
In subsequent footage, armed cops can be seen approaching a corpse that is located on the top of the structure.
How FBI is working 24 Hours?
According to senior FBI sources who recently spoke with NBC News, technicians at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, are working around the clock to conduct forensic analysis on the cellphone and laptop computer belonging to Thomas Crooks.
In a statement released earlier, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that the technicians had successfully gotten access to his phone.
As was the case after the mass shooting that occurred in San Bernardino, California, in 2015, when the FBI relied on a little-known Australian firm to assist in unlocking one of the shooter’s phones, the officials stated that although it took a day to unlock the phone, the lab eventually did so on its own and without any assistance from any outside firm.
The investigations into the electronic gadgets have not yet uncovered a reason for the theft, but the investigation is still ongoing.
It is also anticipated that the FBI will provide further details on the explosive device that was discovered in Crooks’ vehicle.
Crowd chants USA! USA! after the Donald Trump’s arrival at RNC….
At the Republican National conference, the audience cheered and screamed “USA! USA!” and “We love Trump,” among other things, when President Trump came at the conference and headed to a VIP box.
Trump was injured during an attempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania, and he was wearing a bandage on the ear where the wound was located.
His acceptance of the nomination is scheduled to take place on Thursday, but he did not appear on stage at the occasion. He walked to an area of seats that was crimson and greeted VIPs and members of his family by shaking hands and sharing pleasantries with individuals who were present. A giant TV screen displayed him for everyone to see.
Trump was standing with JD Vance, who was his pick for vice president. The audience yelled “fight, fight” and “We love Trump” after Trump’s victory.
The presence of Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, Trump’s kids, as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, was among the attendees.
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