Former President Donald Trump was attacked during a campaign rally in Butler Town, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The FBI identified the shooter as a 20-year-old man named Thomas Matthew Crooks.
He was shot and killed by the Secret Service just after firing multiple shots at Trump.
The US Secret Service said in a statement that the shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside the rally” before being “neutralized” by agents.
State records show the 20-year-old was registered as a Republican and the upcoming election would have been his first.
Besides, Canadian National Television Crooks was reportedly a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour away from where the incident occurred in Butler. He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022.
According to him Tribune Newspaper Reviewreceived a $500 National Math and Science Initiative Star Award.
At the age of 17, Crooks donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, which encourages Democratic politicians to vote.
FBI officials said the shooter was caught armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and located on the roof of a building, about 130 meters from the scene.
However, the motive for the attack on the 78-year-old presidential candidate has not yet been revealed.
