One person confirmed dead as Donald Trump rally shooter identified
Topics: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, US News, Crime
Emily Brown
Featured Image Credit: Trump Campaign Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, US News, Crime
The FBI has identified the gunman allegedly responsible for killing one person at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump issued a statement after the incident to say he had been struck by the bullet in the 'upper part of [his] right ear' when the shooting took place shortly after he took his position on the stage in Butler, about an hour’s drive north of Pittsburgh, on Saturday (13 July).
The former president was taken to hospital as he said that 'much bleeding took place', but he has since been discharged.
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One person, a spectator at the rally, is confirmed to have died while two others were critically injured in the shooting, authorities have said.
The FBI has now identified the alleged shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania.
Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents at the rally after the shooting took place.
In its statement, the FBI statement said the investigation remains 'active and ongoing'. A motive for the shooting has not been confirmed, but the FBI has said it is treating the incident as an assassination attempt.
The shots were fired from the top of a building approximately 148 yards from where Trump was speaking.
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens has expressed belief the location was 'outside the perimeter' which had been secured for the rally.
“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,” Bivens told reporters. “That’s a huge lift to try to do.”
Writing on his social media site Truth Social, Trump thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their 'rapid response' to the incident.
He added: "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."
Joe Biden, who is competing against Trump in the race to become the next US president, confirmed he has been briefed on the shooting and said he was 'grateful to hear' that Trump was 'safe and doing well'.
"I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information," he said in a statement.
"Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it."
Pennsylvania police have said they have 'no reason to believe' there is any other existing threat following the initial shooting.