Former U.S. President Donald Trump was shot at his rally in Pennsylvania, this Saturday. Thomas Matthew Crook, 20, a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania came to the attention of law enforcement at Saturday’s rally spectators noticed him acting strangely outside the campaign event. The law enforcement officers were already informed about the incident, but, he managed to get on the roof before the officers could find him.
Shooter Identified and Investigations Underway
Source: APNews
The administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Marcie Grimm, confirmed to CNN that the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crook was a dietary aid at the facility.
She confirmed that the facility is cooperating with law enforcement and their thoughts and prayers go out to former president Trump and the victims impacted by this terrible tragedy.
In the wake of the shooting that claimed the life of one bystander, the investigations are carried out to hunt for any clues, as to what drove, Thomas Matthew Crooks, to carry out such a disastrous attack.
FBI Investigates Attempted Assassination on Former President Trump
The FBI confirmed that they are investigating whether this is a potential act of domestic terrorism. But, Conspiracy theories have started to flourish as it’s still unclear about the ideological motives behind the attack by the man shot dead by, the Secret Service.
The FBI believes that Thomas Matthew Crooks, who had bomb-making materials in the car that he drove to the rally, acted all alone. No threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions were found that could help explain what drove the 20-year-old to target the former president.
Forensic analysis suggests that around three weapons were fired at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Catalin Grigoras, director of the National Center for Media Forensics at the University of Colorado in Denver, and Cole Whitecotton, Senior Professional Research Associate at the same institution, informed as per the audio analysis that, The first three shots were consistent with the alleged weapon A, the next five were consistent with alleged weapon B, and the final “acoustic impulse” was emitted by a possible weapon C. According to forensic expert Robert Maher, Audio analysis has also confirmed that the gunman was about 360 to 393 feet from the podium.
Aftermath of the Attack
President Joe Biden, in a rare address from the Oval Office, condemned the attempted assassination of the Former President and called on Americans “to lower the temperature in our politics”. President said that political passions could run high but “we must never descend into violence”. “All of us now face a time of testing as the election approaches. There is no place in America for this kind of violence – for any violence. Ever. Period. No exception. We can’t allow this violence to be normalized.”
The President also confirmed that he’d had a ‘short but good conversation” with Trump hours after the shooting and said that he was is grateful that the former President is doing well and recovering
Trump was shot in the ear and was rushed off the stage with blood on his face. The gunman and two audience members are dead, and the two attendees who were injured at the rally are stable now, according to law enforcement.
The Secret Service is now facing calls for congressional investigations and serious questions over the safety and handling of security around the rally.
