Trump Rally Shooter Acted Alone, But Motive Still A Mystery

BUTLER, PA — While many details surfaced Sunday about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally Saturday in Butler, the shooter's motive remained elusive as the weekend drew to a close, according to authorities.

Trump was shot in the upper right ear by 20-year-0ld Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, whose bullets killed volunteer firefighter and father of two Corey Comperatore, 50, of Butler County, and seriously injured two others, authorities said. Comperatore died after diving in front of his family to protect them from the gunfire, according to officials.

Authorities said Sunday that Crooks acted alone, but why he opened fire at all remained a mystery that left politicians on both sides of the aisle calling for peace and unity.

The Shooter

Officials have not determined whether Crooks identified with a particular ideology, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojeck, who said Sunday there were no public safety concerns tied to the shooting.

Authorities' primary goal is to identify his motive, Assistant Director of the Counterterrorism Division Robert Wells said in a media call Sunday afternoon, noting the case is being investigated as both an assassination attempt and a potential act of domestic terrorism.

“The violence that we saw yesterday is an attack on our democracy itself,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said on the call.

Crooks had no known mental health issues and had not made previous threats on social media, authorities said. Law enforcement are working to gain access to his phone, officials said. Public Pennsylvania court records show no past criminal cases against Crooks.

READ MORE: Trump Rally Shooting Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks: What We Know

His family is cooperating with investigators, according to Rojeck, who said the weapon, an AR-556, was purchased legally and belonged to his father, although authorities don’t know how Crooks gained access to it.

Crooks’ father told CNN late Saturday that he was trying to find out “what the hell is going on” but wanted to speak with law enforcement before talking about his son.

A blockade had been set up Sunday preventing traffic near Crooks' house, which is in an enclave of modest brick homes nestled in the hills of blue-collar Pittsburgh.

Bomb-making materials were found in the vehicle and residence of the shooter, The Associated Press reported Sunday, citing two law enforcement sources who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and did so anonymously.

In the media call Sunday afternoon, authorities said a search of the vehicle revealed a suspicious device that law enforcement characterized as “rudimentary” and that was rendered safe.

Not long before shots rang out, rally goers noticed a man climbing to the top of a roof of a nearby building and warned local law enforcement, according to two law enforcement officials, The Associated Press reported.

One officer climbed to the roof and encountered Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer, according to The Associated Press. The officer retreated down the ladder and Crooks quickly took a shot toward former President Donald Trump, and that’s when the U.S. Secret Service counter snipers shot him, said the officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The shooting happened about 6:15 p.m., not long after Trump began speaking at the rally, the Secret Service said. The event was held ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which is scheduled to start Monday and where Trump is to be formally named the Republican presidential candidate.

Snipers guarding the rally fired and killed the shooter within seconds, according to authorities.

READ MORE: Trump Rally Shooting: Eyewitness Describes Event's 'Pure Pandemonium'

Officials said the counter-assault team killed the shooter. The heavily armed tactical team travels everywhere with the president and major party nominees and is meant to confront any active threats while other Secret Service agents focus on safeguarding and evacuating the person at the center of protection.

An AP analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos from the scene of the Trump rally, as well as satellite imagery of the site, shows the shooter was able to get astonishingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking.

A video posted to social media and geolocated by the AP shows the body of a person wearing gray camouflage lying motionless on the roof of a building at AGR International, a manufacturing plant just north of the Butler Farm Show grounds where Trump's rally was held.

The roof where the person lay was less than 150 meters from where Trump was speaking, a distance from which a decent marksman could reasonably hit a human-sized target. For reference, 150 meters is a distance at which U.S. Army recruits must hit a scaled human-sized silhouette to qualify with the M-16 rifle.

The range from which Crooks fired and his clothing led to early speculation that the shooter had military experience. However, all the branches of the military searched their records Sunday and said in response to a query by the AP that they had no records of him serving.

The political leanings of Crooks were not immediately clear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in to office.

Sarah D’Angelo, who attended Bethel Park High School with Crooks told The Wall Street Journal he wasn’t known to have any strong political views.

“He never outwardly spoke about his political views or how much he hated Trump or anything,” she told the newspaper, adding he had a few friends but not a friend group.

Authorities had received over 2,600 tips in the case as of Sunday afternoon, according to Wells.

The Dead And Wounded

Comperatore, who was killed by Crooks, was a former fire chief from Butler County as well as a husband and father who loved his family, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday.

“Corey died a hero. Corey dove on his family to protect them last night,” the governor said.

A Butler County resident, Comperatore had just turned 50, his sister wrote in a Facebook post. He worked as a project and tooling engineer and was a former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Co., where he had served for over 20 years.

READ MORE: 'Corey Was The Very Best Of Us': Firefighter Killed In Trump Rally Shooting

“The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most,” Comperatore’s sister, Dawn Comperatore Schafer, wrote on Facebook. “He was a hero that shielded his daughters. His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and unimaginable.”

Pennsylvania State Police on Sunday identified the two wounded men as David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon. Both were in stable condition.

Trump And Biden

The former president in a post Sunday morning on Truth Social called for unity.

"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," Trump said in the post. "I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin."

Trump flew to New Jersey after visiting a local Pennsylvania hospital, landing shortly after midnight Sunday at Newark Liberty International Airport. Video posted by an aide showed the former president leaving his private jet flanked by Secret Service agents and heavily armed members of the agency's counter-assault team, an unusually visible show of force by his protective detail.

Former First Lady Melania Trump in a statement expressed sympathy for the victims and referred to the shooter as "a monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine."

"America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one," she said.

Many Republicans quickly blamed the violence on President Joe Biden and his allies, arguing that sustained attacks on Trump as a threat to democracy have created a toxic environment. They pointed in particular to a comment Biden made to donors on July 8, saying "it's time to put Trump in the bullseye."

Biden spoke for about five minutes Sunday evening from the Oval Office, saying it was "time to cool down." He used the address to urge all Americans not to accept an escalation in political violence as normal.

“We debate and disagree, we compare and contrast ... but in America we resolve our differences at the ballot box,” Biden said.

He added: “Politics must never be a literal battlefield. God forbid a killing field.”

The president also delivered brief remarks Sunday afternoon during which he urged the public not to make assumptions about the shooter's motives or affiliations, as the investigation was still in its early stages.

"An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for," the president said, calling for unity, which he referred to as "the most elusive goal of all."

Threats of violence have increased online since the attack, according to authorities.

Biden said that while Trump already receives a heightened level of security, reviews would be conducted of security measures for the Republican National Convention and national security at Saturday's rally. He did not take questions.

Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi in a social media post dismissed the claim that a member of Trump's team was denied a request for additional security, stating that protective resources and technology were added.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.