What we know (and don't) about the Trump assassination attempt in Butler

Greater Pittsburgh is reeling after a Bethel Park man apparently tried to shoot former President and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump during a Butler, Pa. rally Saturday. Two people including the shooter are dead, and two more locals were seriously injured. For his part, Trump was well enough to post on social media, and his allies fueled uncorroborated speculation he was golfing mere hours after being shot. He’s now bound for Milwaukee for this week’s Republican National Convention.

If you were out of cell service, avoiding the news, or otherwise occupied, you likely found out about all of this through a fusillade of group texts. News of the assassination attempt has been moving quickly, with updates about the perpetrator and victims emerging through a haze of social media speculation. If you’re overwhelmed or just getting caught up on these shocking events as the week begins, here’s what you need to know:

What happened?

A little after 6 p.m. on Sat., July 13, Trump took the stage at a well-attended and stiflingly hot campaign rally on the grounds of the Butler Farm Show. Meanwhile, a person in a gray shirt was seen acting suspiciously on the property of an adjacent manufacturer and then using a ladder to climb a nearby building.

About 10 minutes into Trump’s speech, while he was discussing illegal border crossings, a series of loud pops rang out. Live video captured Trump grabbing his ear and ducking to the ground before being swarmed by Secret Service agents. Trump later said he was struck in the ear by a bullet, not glass teleprompter fragments as some internet sources have claimed.

Within about 15 seconds, police fatally shot the person on the rooftop. Trump was captured in striking photographs raising a fist and exhorting his supporters to “fight” as Secret Service agents rushed him from the scene. As rallygoers and media members fled, it quickly became apparent that several others were shot in addition to Trump.

U.S. President Joe Biden called his opponent to offer his sympathies, and he and other national leaders all released statements deploying the shooting and pledging scrutiny of the security at Trump’s rally. Social media quickly filled with conspiracy theories about the shooting, with many leftwing sources proclaiming their skepticism about the legitimacy of the assassination attempt. Information and conspiracies also quickly began to emerge about the alleged perpetrator and his background.

Who’s responsible?

The rooftop shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park. Classmates described Crooks as quiet and conservative. Multiple sources say he was a good student who worked in a local nursing home. Though he was apparently barred from a school rifle club for being a bad shot, he later joined another gun club in Clairton. At the time he was killed, Crooks was also wearing a shirt from Demolition Ranch, a popular gun-themed YouTube channel.

Crooks’ politics have fueled rampant speculation, and his motive remains unclear. Though a registered Republican, Crooks donated $15 to a progressive voter rights organization on the day of Biden’s inauguration. Crooks’ social media has also revealed little, fueling speculation about whether or not he was motivated by far-right conspiracies.

What is known is that Crooks used his father’s AR-15 in the shooting. Crooks’ parents were apparently a registered Democrat and Libertarian. Their home in Bethel Park was the scene of a media frenzy on Sunday, and it emerged that the family were neighbors of Allegheny County councilmember Dan Grzybek, who expressed his shock at the coincidence and sympathies to those affected.

Who got hurt?

In addition to Trump’s injury, Corey Comperatore of Buffalo Township was fatally shot after reportedly shielding his wife and two daughters from gunfire. David Dutch of Plum remains in a medically induced coma after undergoing surgery to remove bullets from his torso. James Copenhaver of Moon Twp. was also shot but is now in stable condition.

Neighbors and colleagues of Comperatore described the Butler County man as an upstanding community member — he previously served as chief of a local volunteer fire department. A GoFundMe for Comperatore’s family with ties to Trump’s campaign had received $3 million and counting from donors including prominent conservative influencers.

What’s next?

Biden and other Democrats universally condemned the shooting, with the President urging Americans to “cool it down” amid a tense election cycle. Trump likewise called for the country to “stand united” against political violence (stock in his media company also spiked on news of his survival). However, some Republican lawmakers and Trump supporters took to the airwaves to blame Democrats and Biden in particular for the assassination attempt.

Greater Pittsburgh finds itself once again the center of unpleasant news just as the presidential election has hit a new phase of uncertainty. Following a widely panned debate performance, Biden has lost ground to Trump in polls, and the latter’s supporters appeared galvanized by his brush with death. It remains to be seen how the assassination attempt will change either candidate’s numbers in the days ahead.

In short, the deadly shooting in Butler has taken a chaotic election — one that was already going to have a Pennsylvania focus, given the commonwealth's battleground status — and added a dangerous new element. Unfortunately, the lives of many locals will also never be the same because of it.