by Derrick Broze, The Last American Vagabond:
Regardless of who is behind the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the incident will be used to further bolster support for the corrupted political system and to stoke more division in the American people.
On Saturday July 13, around 6:10 p.m. shots were fired at former President Donald Trump while campaigning in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was discussing a chart of border crossing numbers when loud pops were heard and chaos ensued.
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Trump grabbed for his right ear before crouching to the ground. Screams could be heard from the audience behind Trump. Secret Service agents then rushed to the stage to block the line of sight of the former president.
Once the agents received word that the shooter was down they brought Trump to his feet and began escorting him to a vehicle. Trump told the agents to wait several times while he grabbed his shoes, pumped his first in the air, and mouthed the word “fight”. Blood appeared to be coming from Trump’s right ear and streaked across his face.
Early reports from the Pennsylvania State Police stated that Trump was hit by a piece of glass from the teleprompter screens on either side of him. However, Trump stated on Truth Social that he was grazed by a bullet and videos of the stage appear to show both teleprompters intact.
A man named Corey Comperatore was killed and two others were critically wounded in the shooting.
The Shooter: Thomas Matthew Crooks
While initial reports and social media posts named several people as the potential shooter, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has officially named Thomas Matthew Crooks as the shooter.
Crooks was 20 years old and had graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. Records indicate Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania. Federal campaign finance reports reportedly show he also donated $15 to a progressive political action committee (PAC) on President Joe Biden’s inauguration day in January 2021.
In a strange twist of events, Crooks appeared in a 30-second ad by BlackRock in 2022. The ad features a teacher at Bethel Park High School. Crooks can be seen in a classroom speaking to the teacher.
“In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks,” the company said in a statement to Reuters.
Olivia Rubin with ABC News reported that Crooks was once rejected from high school rifle club, according to two former team members. One team member stated that Crooks, “was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was, it was considered like, dangerous.”
However, Business Insider spoke with a former Secret Service agent who said Crooks displayed a certain level of skill even with his shots likely being rushed. Bill Pickle, the former special agent in charge of Al Gore’s vice-presidential Secret Service detail, said Crooks had to be “a guy who actually shot before.”
“This kid, at 150 yards, made a great shot,” Pickle told Business Insider. “I don’t know the specifics of whether he used optics, meaning a scope on his rifle. But even with optics, it takes somebody with training to aim at somebody’s head from 150 yards away, and you actually hit the edge of the head.”
Questions have begun to swirl regarding how Crooks was able to climb on top of the roof of the building without being seen by law enforcement or Secret Service. Video released from TMZ shows Crooks on the rooftop right before he takes the shot at Trump.
President Biden and some Republican leaders are calling for an investigation into the security failures to determine how Crooks was able to get his shot off without intervention by Secret Service. Biden has also urged “unity” and cautioned Americans about rushing to judgement about Crooks affiliations or motives.
Local Police Officer Attempted to Intervene
Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe told CNN on Sunday that Butler Township officers received several calls about a suspicious person near the outside of the rally. Police went looking for the person and eventually found him on the roof.
The Associated Press reported that a local police officer climbed to the roof and found Crooks preparing to shoot. Slupe told the AP that Crooks saw the officer looking over the ledge and pointed the rifle at him before he quickly retreated below. Seconds later Crooks reportedly fired at Trump and was quickly shot by Counter Snipers with the Secret Service.
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