Investigators have yet to determine motive for Trump’s shooting

More than 24 hours after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the 20-year-old gunman’s motive has not been identified, the FBI said Sunday.

Little is known about the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, although investigators have stressed that the investigation is in its early stages and they are still seeking access to his cellphone.

The shooter acted alone, but investigators are still working to determine “if there were any co-conspirators associated with this attack,” the FBI said in a statement. “At this time, there is no public safety concern,” it added. There is no current indication that Crooks has any mental health issues, officials said.

Crooks fired multiple shots from a nearby rooftop at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, narrowly missing the former president, killing one rallygoer and wounding two others before being killed by at least one Secret Service sniper.

Corey Comperatore, 50, a former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department, was identified as the person killed. The other two victims are in stable condition.

Trump, who ducked and surfaced with a bloody face, said he was shot in the ear and described the sensation of a “bullet going through his skin.” He arrived in Milwaukee Sunday night for the Republican National Convention.

The shooting is being investigated “as an attempted assassination and potential domestic terrorism,” the FBI said in a statement. There is no indication at this time that the shooting at the Trump rally was linked to a foreign actor, a U.S. official said.

The FBI also said it recovered Crooks’ phone and searched his home and vehicle. At a news conference Sunday, an official said the FBI sent the phone to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, to try to gain access to it.

The semi-automatic rifle used in the shooting was purchased legally, but it did not specify to whom it was registered, the FBI said. The FBI had previously said it believed the gun was purchased by the 20-year-old’s father, but investigators did not know how the shooter obtained the weapon.

The FBI’s Pittsburgh field office is conducting the investigation in coordination with local, state and federal partners and is appealing to the public for information. Investigators have already received more than 2,600 tips, the bureau said Sunday afternoon, adding that Crooks’ family is cooperating with investigators.

Little is known about Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and neither investigators nor reporters have found an online presence that would explain why the young man, two years out of high school, allegedly targeted the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Crooks was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in Pittsburgh, which has several shooting ranges. He was a registered Republican who also appeared to have donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project in 2021.

He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and was described by former classmates as a loner. Jason Kohler, 21, said he was “bullied” in high school, sometimes for wearing hunting gear, which he regularly donned. Michael Dudjak, 20, who also went to school with Crooks, said he was quiet and didn’t remember him being outspoken about politics or active on social media.

Crooks graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County in May 2024 with an associate degree in engineering science, according to the college.

The school said in a statement: “Like all Americans, we are shocked and saddened by the horrific turn of events that took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. We are grateful that former President Trump is safe and recovering, and we extend our condolences to the family of Corey Comperatore for their loss, and offer our thoughts and prayers to all those affected by this tragedy.”

The statement said the school is cooperating with investigators and “will provide information in accordance with university policies and law enforcement protocols and practices.”

Crooks most recently worked at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility said in a statement that “his background was impeccable” and that he “performed his job without any issues.”