The FBI has identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Authorities say he fired multiple shots from a building rooftop just outside the rally venue before he was killed by Secret Service agents.
Two injured shooting victims at Trump rally identified
From CNN's Andy Rose
Two people who were shot during Saturday’s Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and who are now stable were identified Sunday by state police.
Pennsylvania State Police identified David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, in a Sunday press release.
The state police also confirmed the name of Corey Comperatore, 50, as the victim who was killed in the assassination attempt. His identity was announced earlier in the day by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
The Marine Corps League of Pennsylvania, Inc., identified Dutch as a commandant in its organization in Westmoreland County. MCL Vice Commandant Matt Popovich said on Facebook that Dutch underwent two surgeries after being “shot in the liver and chest.”
“These victims and their families are certainly in our thoughts today,” said Col. Christopher Paris, the state police commissioner. “The Pennsylvania State Police continue to work tirelessly alongside our federal, state and local partners as this investigation continues.”
CNN’s Sara Smart contributed to this report.
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Discussions underway about adding more federal law enforcement agents in Milwaukee for RNC
From CNN's Whitney Wild
A law enforcement source familiar with planning for the Republican Nation Convention told CNN on Sunday there are discussions underway about adding more federal law enforcement agents to post positions in light of the recent shooting.
However, the perimeter is unlikely to change, the source said, noting preparations for the RNC have been underway for a year and a half.
The source added that there have been discussions about adding additional security for high-profile GOP members as well.
The source said events, such as dinners, may be hard to police as they are outside the perimeter associated with the RNC and do not have the same level of security.
The source noted this concern had also been discussed before Saturday’s shooting.
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Mother and son at Trump rally describe "complete shock" following assassination attempt
From CNN’s Sara Smart
Attendees duck for safety at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Donna Hutz
A mother and son who witnessed the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday said the incident was “too close for comfort,” as they were just a few rows in front of the attendees who were shot.
Donna Hutz and her son Joe traveled from Hubbard, Ohio, and arrived at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for the rally. They were seated in the third row on the bleachers behind the former president. Donna told CNN on Sunday they almost made the decision to sit higher up in the bleachers and they’re glad they didn’t.
When the incident unfolded, both immediately got down and ducked for safety. Joe, 25, said when he realized what was going on he yelled, “Gun, get down!” so others would understand the severity of the situation.
Attendees duck for safety at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Donna Hutz
The attendees who were shot during the incident were about six rows above the pair, they said.
Seeing Trump stand up and put his fist in the air after the shooting made Donna and Joe feel empowered.
“Knowing that he is the only one who can help our country, I was happy to see him get up and that he was powerful,” Donna added.
Joe said he’d attend another event soon. “They can’t scare us,” he said.
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Shooter was a dietary aid at a nursing and rehabilitation center, facility confirms
From CNN’s Yahya Abou-Ghazala
Marcie Grimm, the administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, confirmed to CNN that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man identified as the shooter at the Donald Trump rally, was a dietary aide at the facility.
Grimm added that the facility is cooperating with law enforcement and that “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Former President Trump and the victims impacted by this terrible tragedy.”
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Democratic congressman says staffer who posted inflammatory post about Trump shooting "no longer" employed
From CNN’s Annie Grayer
Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi said Sunday that a staffer who made an inflammatory post about the assassination attempt of Donald Trump is “no longer in (his) employment.”
A post on Facebook associated with the staffer’s account suggested the gunman needed shooting lessons “so you don’t miss next time.”
Trump said he was shot in the ear during the shooting Saturday night.
The Clarion Ledger reported Sunday the post has since been deleted.
CNN has reached out to the staffer for comment.
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Washington Post: Local police officer saw gunman before shooting but couldn't engage, sheriff says
From CNN’s Allison Gordon
A local police officer saw the gunman just before he fired on a Donald Trump rally Saturday but was unable to engage him, Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe said in an interview Sunday with The Washington Post.
Slupe told The Post that the officer was examining the area after there were requests from law enforcement to identify a suspicious person.
“So police responded to try to find the guy, searched the area, but couldn’t find him, so said, ‘Well, let’s try the roof,’” Slupe said.
Slupe said the officer pulled himself up enough to look on the roof and see the gunman, who also saw the officer and pointed his gun at the officer.
“He lets go because he doesn’t want to get killed,” Slupe said. The gunman then started firing.
CNN reported earlier that the shooter was spotted outside the event by local law enforcement, who thought he might’ve been acting suspiciously near the walk-through metal detectors, according to a senior law enforcement official. They put out a call over the radio to keep an eye on him, and that information was passed on to Secret Service, the source said.
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Some Trump supporters blame the media for assassination attempt
From CNN's Oliver Darcy
Former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
Moments after Donald Trump was rushed to safety following a failed assassination attempt at a Saturday rally, some of his supporters turned toward the press pen with obscenities as they fingered reporters for blame.
“It is your fault!” exclaimed another.
Axios reporter Sophia Cai, who quoted some in the crowd warning the press, “you’re next” and that their “time is coming,” even reported that a few rallygoers tried to breach the barriers establishing the press pen, but that they were stopped by security personnel.
In the immediate wake of the horrific shooting, the news media has quickly emerged among some Trump supporters as a body to assign blame.
While the Trump campaign urged its staff to “condemn all forms of violence” and said it “will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric on social media,” some of the former president’s supporters in MAGA media vehemently assailed the press for its hard-knuckled reporting on Trump, which has sounded the alarm on what four more years under the former president would look like.
Over the course of the campaign cycle, news organizations have, among other things, reported at length on Trump’s plans to warp the federal government for his own ends, including to seek vengeance against his political opponents. That reporting is now facing scrutiny, with some Trump supporters blaming it for producing a charged atmosphere that gave way to the assassination attempt, while mostly looking past the incendiary rhetoric of the former president himself.
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Trump says he's traveling to Milwaukee on Sunday
From CNN’s Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he is going to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday as scheduled after initially considering delaying his trip following the assassination attempt.
Here’s what Trump wrote on Truth Social:
Trump’s post comes after Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said that there are no major changes being made to the Republican National Convention schedule.
CNN’s Alayna Treene and Alison Main contributed to this report.
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Biden will address nation from Oval Office tonight
From CNN's Betsy Klein
President Joe Biden delivers remarks alongside Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Sunday, July 14.
Susan Walsh/AP
President Joe Biden will deliver a rare address to the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in the aftermath of the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, the White House said.
Biden last addressed the nation on October 19, 2023, following the Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel.
Correction: The post was updated with the correct date of Biden’s last Oval Office speech, which was October 19, 2023.
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Biden urges people to await FBI investigation and not make assumptions about motive of shooter
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and Michelle Shen
President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday. Nathan Howard/Reuters
President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday. Nathan Howard/Reuters
President Joe Biden urged people not to make assumptions and to “let the FBI do their job” in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Biden, who spoke from the White House on Sunday, stood with Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas.
He stressed that we “don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter,” but that we “know who he is.”
He said he had instructed the investigation, which he said is in its early stages, to be “thorough and swift” and said the “investigators will have every resource they need to get this done.”
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Biden orders an independent review of the security at Trump rally
From CNN's Michael Williams
President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14, in Washington, DC.
Susan Walsh/AP
President Joe Biden said he’s directed a review of the security at Saturday’s rally where the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump took place.
“I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened,” Biden said. “And we’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people as well.
Biden added that directed the head of the US Secret Service to review security measures ahead of this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Biden added that he has sought to provide Trump with every Secret Service resource that the former president and his team had asked for.
“I’ve been consistent in my direction with the Secret Service to provide him with every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure its continued safety,” Biden said.
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"There is no place in America for this kind of violence," Biden says
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury
President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14.
Pool
President Joe Biden denounced the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in remarks from the White House on Sunday, saying there is no place for this type of violence in the country.
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Biden says he had "short but good" conversation with Trump and is grateful that he's OK
From CNN's Michael Williams
President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Sunday, July 14.
Pool
Speaking from the White House on Saturday, President Joe Biden confirmed he had a short conversation with former President Donald Trump following the attempt on his life Saturday.
The president added he had a “short but good” conversation with Trump.
He continued: “We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed. He was a father; he was protecting his family from the bullets being fired when he lost his life. God love him. We are also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured.”
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NOW: Biden addresses the nation following Trump's assassination attempt
From CNN's Sam Fossum
President Joe Biden speaks in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on July 13.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
President Joe Biden is speaking from the White House on Sunday following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
The remarks this afternoon mark the second time Biden has spoken since the Saturday rally. He condemned the shooting and all political violence in a brief televised address last night, calling for national unity.
Biden also had a “short and respectful” phone call with Trump on Saturday night after the shooting, according to sources familiar with the conversation.
The president, who was in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, during the shooting, returned to the White House late Saturday and received an updated briefing from Homeland Security and law enforcement officials this morning in the Situation Room.
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Ivanka Trump with former president at Bedminster
From CNN’s Kristen Holmes
Former President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump met her father in New Jersey last night when he returned home after the shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.
She is with him as he recovers at his Bedminster New Jersey Golf Club.
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Nikki Haley will speak at Republican National Convention
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Kristen Holmes
Nikki Haley delivers remarks in Daniel Island, South Carolina, on March 6.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley will speak at the Republican National Convention this week, two sources said Sunday.
The news comes after CNN reported Saturday that the former South Carolina governor had been invited to speak at the Milwaukee convention.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow former GOP presidential nominee, is also expected to speak at the RNC. CNN reported Tuesday that Haley and DeSantis had been left out of the program, sparking backlash from their supporters.
Haley, who dropped out of the presidential race in March, announced Tuesday that she was releasing her delegates to the convention and urging them to support Trump. She made clear in a May speech that she would vote for Trump, and the two spoke last month.
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Biden's closely watched interview with NBC is still happening tomorrow, source says
From CNN's MJ Lee
President Joe Biden will move forward with a planned interview with NBC News tomorrow, a senior White House official tells CNN.
The White House had just announced Biden’s trip to Texas – where the interview was originally set to take place – is being rescheduled.
Wisconsin GOP chair says no "major changes" to RNC or security for now after Trump rally shooting
From CNN's Alayna Treene and Alison Main
A view of the convention floor and stage ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 14.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said as of Sunday, there are no major changes being made to the Republican National Convention schedule as the party prepares to meet Monday in Milwaukee.
Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick is still expected to speak Wednesday, followed by the former president Thursday.
Schimming told reporters that he spoke to RNC Chairman Michael Whatley earlier in the day and that “everything for the convention is going on as planned.”
Schimming told CNN on Sunday morning that he expected Trump to arrive in Milwaukee within the next 24 hours. He later told CNN that he is not aware of Trump’s “specific schedule” for the week.
Though Trump has “obviously been through a lot in the last 24 hours,” Schimming said, based on his understanding, Trump is “doing well” and his thoughts are focused on the victims of the shooting.
In the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump, Schimming said he remains “very, very confident” in the security preparations around the convention.
He said he’s not anticipating any “major changes” to the existing security plan, adding that “if they were to make any changes, there would be a reason for it, but we don’t see any reason for it right now.”
##RNC##
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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with Trump and wishes former president a quick recovery
From CNN's Max Foster
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends the NATO 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, on July 10.
Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images
The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, held a phone call with Donald Trump on Sunday following the assassination attempt at the former president’s Pennsylvania campaign rally, a Downing Street source said.
Starmer, who took office July 5, condemned the violence, expressed his condolences for the victims and their families, and wished Trump and those injured a quick recovery, the source said.