The FBI has unveiled new details concerning the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump that occurred last month.
On July 13, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on the crowd. This resulted in two attendees getting injured, one killed, and Trump sustaining a wound after being shot in the ear. Crooks fired eight bullets before being shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
The FBI’s investigation into the assassination attempt remains ongoing, with the bureau yet to determine a motive for Crooks or find evidence that he was collaborating with others.
Kevin Rojek, head of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, informed reporters during a briefing that they “believe [Crooks] engaged in detailed attack planning” and became “hyper-focused” on Trump’s campaign rally in Butler. The FBI discovered a “mixture of ideologies” associated with the shooter.
“When this event was announced, the Trump rally was announced, early in July, he became hyper-focused on that specific event and looked at it as a target of opportunity,” Rojek explained.
Further investigation by the FBI revealed that in September 2023, an online account linked to Crooks began searching for Trump campaign events in Pennsylvania. Additionally, Rojek noted that from April 2024 to July 12, Crooks searched for information on campaign events for both Trump and President Joe Biden, including dates for the Democratic and Republican conventions.
Rojek also stated that they found accounts tied to Crooks searching for explosive devices as far back as 2019, with search terms including “detonating cord,” “how to make a bomb from fertilizer,” and “how do remote detonators work.”
Details on the shooting were also disclosed by the FBI, revealing that Crooks was on the roof of the AGR building for six minutes and fired eight shots before law enforcement responded with two shots — one from a Secret Service sniper and one from a local officer.
The FBI has also released four photos of Crooks’ rifle and items found in the trunk of his car.
The first photo released by the FBI shows Crooks’ gun, an AR-style rifle made by DPMS Panther Arms, recovered from the shooting site.
The second photo displays Crooks’ disassembled rifle and the backpack he wore during the Butler rally.
The third photo, taken by the Allegheny County Police Department, shows two improvised explosive devices. The FBI noted that the receiver for remote detonation was in the “off” position and that the “devices had several problems in the way they were constructed.”
The fourth and final photo from the FBI is of the air conditioning unit Crooks used to access the roof of the AGR building. The bureau clarified that this is not an evidence photo but was taken during a tour of the rally site in the days following the assassination attempt.
As the investigation continues, the FBI has interviewed Trump and described the interview as “productive.”
Rojek also mentioned that Crooks’ parents have been “extremely cooperative” during the investigation.