On the evening of Saturday, July 13, an assassin attempted to kill Donald Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Just minutes after 6:00 PM, the assassin’s first shots were fired. The man left two critically injured in the crowd, one dead, and Trump with a wound on his right ear. The 20-year-old assassin was killed by snipers shortly after the eight rounds were fired.
According to CBS News, Trump heavily thanked all of Law Enforcement and the Secret Service through a message on one of his social media platforms. When describing the moment he was hit, he writes, “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. 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!”
Trump stayed positive throughout the ordeal, maintaining strength for the country during this traumatic time. President Biden also had opinions to express after this event, “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick. That’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. You cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.” Biden hopes to be able to speak to Trump soon and check in on him.
The rally shooter was identified as a young man named Thomas Matthew Crooks who was a resident in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Without his ID, investigators had to find out who he was through a DNA analysis. Various interviews with former high school classmates and teachers of Crooks showed that no one could have seen this coming from him. Crooks did have a gun membership at Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, though.
The high school Crooks graduated from in 2022 sends their deepest condolences and is willing to help Law Enforcement with any unanswered questions.
