Donald Trump rally shooting updates — Video shows RNC security as former president to speak after assassination attempt

Neighbors of gunman evacuated as cops swarm Crooks' home

The home of Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park has been surrounded by law enforcement.

Neighbors have reportedly been evacuated from their homes as an investigation into Crooks and the shooting is ongoing, per CBS News.

Cops shut down Milford Drive and woke up neighbors during the night to get them out of their properties.

Kelly Little who lives a few houses down from the three-bed home where Crooks is thought to have lived with his parents has revealed the details of what happened.

"They asked us to leave our house, they told us it was a state of emergency, no warning, just a knock on the door in the middle fo the night," she told the outlet.

"They told us we could come back in a couple of hours, likely."

Bethel Park Police confirmed that a bomb investigation is being carried out at the Crooks's property.

Resilient Trump vows to not 'allow evil to win' as he goes ahead with planned appearances

The former President has taken to Truth Social to confirm he will still be attending the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin this week.

"Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening," he wrote in a post.

"We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness.

"Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed.

"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.

"I truly love our Country and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin. DJT."

'Drastic changes' will take place, former FBI agent says

Crooks was on a rooftop less than 150 meters away from his target when he attempted to assassinate Trump.

As eyewitnesses called it a "security failure" two former FBI agents have also expressed their shock at the situation.

Retired FBI field agent Bobby Chacon told CNN that the gunman was given "the perfect perch" to establish himself and take shots at the former president.

"That building...is the closest building with a clear line of sight to where the stage was," he said.

"I'm shocked that they didn't have somebody on that roof."

Steve Moore, another retired FBI agent who was a sniper for two years added that the rooftop should not have been left unguarded.

"The fact that somebody allowed that roof to be unmonitored, unguarded" may have been a planning mishap, he said.

"They could have planned for that roof and maybe something happened in the planning or in the execution of the plan where it was left unguarded," he added.

He noted that agents at the scene may have had a "very obstructed view" of the suspect.

"You can't just say, 'Oh there's somebody over there on a roof' and shoot them," Moore said, adding that agents will have been waiting to see a weapon and that the roof may have been sloped or a wall may have partially blocked him from their view.

Nevertheless, he said that "drastic changes" are more than likely to take place including expanding the Secret Service's safety zone around such events.

"There are just too many ways that you can improve that situation," the former FBI agent said.

Footage of shocking moment Crooks was shot by snipers

The moment Trump's would-be assassin was taken out by Secret Service agents was caught on video.

Footage showed snipers on a rooftop firing back at Crooks after he targeted the former President, clipping his ear with a bullet.

Trump can be heard addressing his supporters, starting his impassioned speech as gunshots rang out and the crowd ducked for cover.

Gunman's father speaks out

The father of gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks said he is looking into "what the hell is going on," when he briefly spoke to CNN on Saturday night.

Matthew Crooks refrained from further comment noting that he would "wait until I talk to to law enforcement."

The 2024 election would have been his son's first time having the right to vote.

What to know about gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks

20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about an hour's drive away from the site of the Rally.

He was shot and killed by Secret Service snipers and his attack is being investigated as an assassination attempt but a motive is still being sought.

Crooks was reportedly armed with an AR-style rifle, believed to be an AR-15, which he fired multiple times from the roof of a nearby structure.

He was not carrying any identification documents and was later identified with DNA.

Crooks did not have a criminal history, per Pennsylvania’s public court records.

Pennsylvania voter records list Thomas Matthew Crooks with the same personal details including address and date of birth as a registered Republican.

The records also show that he made a single donation of $15 to Democratic Political Action Committee ActBlue on January 20, 2021.

This was the day of President Joe Biden's inauguration.

Little else is known about Crooks other than he graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 with a "star award" of $500 from the National Math and Science Initiative.

Former White House aid calls for investigation into Secret Service 'security failure'

Richard Painter, the former chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration has called for an investigation into the response of the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies.

He told the BBC that there are "serious questions to be asked" regarding what happened in terms of security at the rally.

Speaking of his own time in the White House, the lawyer said he would have had a Secret Service perimeter enforced "as far as the eye can see."

"They certainly should have had police officers on that rooftop, cleared the area, made absolutely sure that they did not have a shooter up there," Painter said.

"Quite frankly, there really should be metal detectors at these rallies, people shouldn't be bringing guns anywhere near the place.

"There is going to be a lot of discussion about what the Secret Service did or didn't do that they should have done."

Meanwhile, at a press conference, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi highlighted the swift reaction of agents at the rally.

"U.S. Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and Former President Trump is safe," he said.

The FBI agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office said it was "surprising" that Crooks was able to fire multiple shots.

He was located 200 to 300 feet away on the roof of a shed outside of the Secret Service perimeter.

"It is incredibly difficult to have a venue open to the public and to secure that against any possible threat, against a very determined attacker," Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens added.

His comments come as eyewitness Greg Smith called the assassination attempt a "security failure" when speaking to the BBC about what happened.

After seeing the gunman and alerting cops, Smith recalled thinking "Why is Trump still speaking, why have they not pulled him off the stage" before five shots were fired from the rooftop.

"Why is there not Secret Service on all of these roofs here?" he asked.

"This is not a big place. "[It's a] security failure, 100% security failure."

Trump Campaign establishes donation page for shooting victims and relatives

Trump has authorized a GoFundMe page to raise money for the shooting victims and their families.

In six hours, the fundraiser has already received over $207,000 from its $1 million target with almost 3,000 donors so far.

The page was created by the Trump campaign's national finance director Meredith O'Rourke.

"President Donald Trump has authorized this account as a place for donations to the supporters and families wounded or killed in today’s brutal and horrific assassination attempt," the page states.

"All donations will be directed to these proud Americans as they grieve and recover. May God bless and unite our nation."

Blood-covered doctor's desperate attempt to save life of shooting victim

An emergency room doctor who was attending the rally has spoken out about his attempt to save the life of a victim of the shooting.

The blood-covered man told a CBS News reporter how he initially thought the gunshots were "firecrackers."

"Somebody was screaming 'he's been shot, he's been shot' so I made my way over," he recalled.

After identifying himself to shocked bystanders as an emergency department physician, the doctor said, "Let me help you" after noticing that the victim had been "spun around" and was "jammed between the benches."

"He had a head shot...there was lots of blood and he had brain matter there."

As the doctor was speaking he said that a helicopter was arriving to pick up the victim.

He added that bystanders helped him get the man onto the bench where he then performed CPR and chest compressions.

One attendee died and two others were injured in the incident.

Their identities have not yet been released.

'I don't want to die' girl told attendees as bullets flew

Trump supporters Warren and Debbie have spoken out about the heartbreaking moment a young rally attendee feared for her life.

The pair told the BBC how they heard at least four gunshots and immediately got down on the ground.

"We couldn't believe it was happening," Warren told the news outlet.

Debbie recalled the moment a little girl in the crowd feared for her life saying that she did not want to die crying, "How is this happening to us?"

"That broke my heart," Debbie said.

Meanwhile, Greg Smith who was listening to the rally from outside and had seen the gunman, has spoken out about other terrified children.

"There were a lot of kids up there with us who were terrified, they're still terrified," he said.

The father added that his child was "crying and begging me to take him home" after the incident.

'We can see him!' - Witnesses recall seeing gunman minutes before shooting

An attendee called Greg Smith has recalled the moments leading up to the assassination attempt as he listened to the rally from outside.

He saw a person wearing "tan, tight clothing" "bear crawling" on the roof of a raised structure just five minutes before Trump took to the stage, he told the BBC.

"He had a rifle, we could clearly see him with a rifle," Smith said, adding that he immediately informed cops.

"We’re pointing at him, the police are down there running around on the ground – we’re like ‘hey man there’s a guy on the roof with a rifle’ and the police did not know what was going on."

"We're like, 'we can see him right here. We can see him!"

"The next thing you know I'm like why is Trump still speaking? Why have they not pulled him off the stage?"

Greg claimed he was pointing at the gunman for "two or three minutes" while the Secret Service was looking at him and fellow attendees.

"Next thing you know five shots rang out," he said.

In response, "Secret Service blew his head off," Smith added.

"They crawled up on the roof, they had their guns pointed at him to make sure he was dead. And that's it. It was over."

The gunman was taken out by snipers, officials confirmed.

Images reveals gunman's position

Shooter named as Thomas Matthew Crooks

The identity of the gunman has been confirmed as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

Bethel Park is around 40 miles south of the site of the rally.

Crooks was "neutralized" by Secret Service agents at the scene, the FBI's Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi confirmed.

The gunman was reportedly armed with an AR-style rifle which he fired from the roof of an elevated structure less than 150 metres away from the former President.

Crooks was not carrying any identification documents and was later identified with his DNA, Special Agent Kevin Rojek said.

The FBI is still investigating a motive.

Pennsylvania voter records list Thomas Matthew Crooks with the same personal details including address and date of birth as a registered Republican.

However, according to NBC News, it is unclear how up-to-date these records are.

Crooks did not have a criminal history, per Pennsylvania’s public court records.

Trump Speaks Out

The former President took to Truth Social just hours after being shot at to thank the response of the Secret Service and to pay his respects to the rally attendee who died.

"I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania," he said.

"Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.

"It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country.

"Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead.

"I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear," he continued.

"I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.

"Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.

"GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

FBI was 'monitoring'

FBI said they were "monitoring" Saturday's rally but only took over once the incident occurred.

The press conference has now ended.

FBI names greatest priority

The FBI says their greatest priority is "identifying the motive and whether or not there was anyone else involved."

Agents said it's unclear if the shooter was a "lone wolf."