UPDATE 10:30PM
President Biden gave an Oval Office address Sunday evening. He condemned political violence and warned against the normalization of violence following Saturday's shooting.
Biden urged Americans to "lower the temperature" of the country's politics. He said, "It's time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that. Yes, we have deeply felt strong disagreements. The stakes in this election are enormously high. I've said it many times that the choice in this election, we make in this election, is gonna shape the future of America and the world for decades to come. I believe that with all my soul."
He also said he is grateful Trump is doing well and that he sends his condolences to the family of the victim who was killed, Corey Comperatore. Biden said, "Corey was a husband, a father, a volunteer firefighter hero, sheltering his family from those bullets. We should all hold his family and all those injured in our prayers."
UPDATE 7:45PM
The names of the victims shot in Saturday’s shooting have been identified.
According to AP, the man who was killed has been identified as Corey Comperatore of Butler, PA. At least two other people were injured during the shooting, their names are being reported as David Dutch of New Kensington, PA, and James Copenhaver of Moon Township, PA. Officials report that Dutch and Copenhaver are in stable condition.
Donald Trump has reportedly arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. He is not expected to speak at the event until Thursday night.
UPDATE 5:00PM
The FBI have not identified any threatening writing or social media posts from the shooter, according to AP. FBI officials believe that the shooter acted alone.
An AR-style rifle used by the shooter was legally purchased by his father, according to the FBI. AP reports that Kevin Rojeck, the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office, told reporters that authorities don’t know how the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, obtained access to the weapon.
AP reports Crooks’ family is cooperating with the investigation, according to an FBI official.
UPDATE 3:15PM
A local police officer says he encountered the shooter before he fired towards Trump, according to AP. They say before shots rang out, rally attendees noticed someone climbing onto the roof of a nearby building and those attendees warned local law enforcement of the man.
The Associated Press says one officer climbed the roof and encountered the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, who reportedly pointed his gun at the officer. AP reports “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..".
UPDATE 3:00PM
AP reports that President Biden has postponed his planned trip to Texas planned for Monday. He received a "Situation Room" briefing on the Trump rally shooting Sunday afternoon.
Biden is scheduled to address the nation from the Oval Office Sunday night at 8pm, according to AP.
He also said he is directing an independent review of the security at the rally. Additionally, he has directed the U.S. Secret Service to review and oversee all security measures for the Republican National Convention. The RNC begins Monday in Milwaukee.
Trump says he'll travel to the Republican National Convention on Sunday afternoon.
UPDATE 9AM
Trump addressed the apparent assassination attempt in a post to Truth Social Sunday morning, saying in part:
"Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. 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."
The former president also expressed he still plans to speak at the Republican National Convention on Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
UPDATE 12:30AM
The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the shooter, according to AP.
UPDATE 12:00AM (7/14/2024)
AP reports the FBI called the shooting at Trump's rally an "attempted assassination" in a press briefing that occurred late Saturday night in Butler, PA.
Kevin Rojek, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office spoke at the news conference. He said "tonight we had what we’re calling an assassination attempt on our former president, Donald Trump”...“We do not currently have an identified motive".
Rojek also said that they received no specific threats ahead of the shooting.
According to AP, State Police have identified the person killed and those injured in the shooting. Their names will not be released yet, but law enforcement say the two people critically injured and one killed were male.
UPDATE 10:45PM
President Biden has spoken on the phone with former President Donald Trump, the AP reports. No additional details were provided about the call.
President Biden will returned to Washington D.C. Saturday from Rehoboth Beach, earlier than planned.
The FBI said it will take charge of the investigation, working in coordination with the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson says the house will conduct its own investigation.
UPDATE 9:45PM
AP reports that law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene of the rally shooting.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says they are taking every security measure possible to ensure security for campaigns. Mayorkas said in a statement, “DHS and the Secret Service are working with law enforcement partners to respond to and investigate the shooting."
UPDATE 9PM
In a statement posted to Truth Social at 8:45pm, Donald Trump wrote that he was shot with a bullet in the upper part of the ear. He added that “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!”
Earlier, Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told CNN that in addition to the prior spectator that died, another attendee was taken to a local hospital. They are in critical condition.
Goldinger said "The shooter is dead", and that the shooter was outside of the rally. There is no additional information on where the shooter was.
Goldinger told CNN, "Quite frankly I don’t know how he would have gotten to the location where he was, but he was outside the grounds and I think that’s something that we’re going to have to figure out — how he got there."
UPDATE 8:15PM
President Biden delivered a on-camera statement from Rehoboth Beach following the shooting. He condemned the shooting at Trump's rally and said "There's no place in America for this kind of violence."
Speaking from Delaware, he said, "it's sick, it's one of the reasons we have to unite this country"...“We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this.”
Biden said he has tried to get in touch with Donald Trump. The former president is with his doctors and appears to be doing well.
UPDATE 8:00PM
CNN reports that at least one rally attendee and the gunman are dead after the shooting, according to Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger.
The shooter was killed by Secret Service, according to a USSS source.
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BUTLER, PA - Secret Service rushed former President Donald Trump off stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania after "loud bangs" rang out at the event Saturday, CNN reports.
The US Secret Service reports that Trump is safe.
During his speech at the rally July 13th, Trump dropped to the ground after what pool reporters at the event described as "a series of loud explosions or loud bangs" rang out. Secret Service agents rushed towards Trump and surrounded him, bringing him to his feet before rushing off stage.
In photos and videos shared by the Associated Press and CNN, Trump had blood on his face and yelled back to the crowd, raising his fist before being taken off stage.
CBS reports that this was a shooting and the gunman has been "neutralized." The suspect is either dead or in custody, according to CBS reports.
“An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available,” US Secret Service chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
According to CNN, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said the president "is fine."
The shooting left at least one other person in critical condition, according to CBS.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
