FBI: Trump shooting was assassination

The FBI has named Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The shooting happened during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The investigation is still ongoing.

Trump’s campaign managers, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, announced that they are increasing security measures after the shooting. In a message to their team, they expressed their shock and horror at the attack and called for unity and a renewed focus on safety and peace. They condemned all violence and harmful speech on social media. Despite the attack, the Republican National Convention will continue as planned in Milwaukee, where Trump will be nominated as the GOP candidate.

This assassination attempt has brought attention back to the issue of political violence in the United States. The attack, just days before Trump was set to accept the Republican nomination, is seen as an attack on democracy and the right to choose leaders. The rally was typical of Trump’s events, with supporters holding posters and wearing MAGA hats. Suddenly, shots were fired, and Trump grabbed his face and ducked behind the podium as people began to scream.

Trump later said that the bullet grazed his ear, causing it to bleed heavily. The shooter was on a roof outside the rally area and nearly caused much more harm. An important photograph by Evan Vucci from the Associated Press shows a bloodied but defiant Trump being rushed off stage by Secret Service agents with his fist raised and an American flag in the background. The full impact of this attack is still unknown, but it has already added a dark chapter to the nation’s history.

Re-reported from the article originally published in CNN.