BUTLER, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump called for unity and resilience Sunday after an attempt on his life added fresh uncertainty to an already tumultuous presidential campaign and raised sharp questions about how a gunman was able to open fire from a rooftop near a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
A full day after the shooting, the gunman’s motive was still a mystery, and investigators said they believe he acted alone before being fatally shot by Secret Service agents.
President Joe Biden ordered an independent security review of the attack, which killed one bystander and critically wounded two. The FBI is investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism.
The attack shook the firmament of the American political system, causing a reassessment and a detente in the heated 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said the upper part of his right ear was pierced by a bullet.
His aides said he was in “great spirits” and doing well, and arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention that begins Monday.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he wrote on his social media site.
“Much bleeding took place.”
In a subsequent social post Sunday, Trump said: “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”
The rallygoer who was killed was identified as Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief from the area, according to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who added that Comperatore “died a hero.”
Biden spoke briefly with Trump and was to address the nation Sunday evening. The president said the country would continue to debate and disagree, but stressed: “We must unite as one nation to demonstrate who we are.”
The FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles from the scene of the shooting.
The gunman had his father’s AR-style rifle and was perched atop a nearby roof when some rallygoers pointed him out to local law enforcement, said two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal probe.
A local law enforcement officer climbed to the roof and found Crooks, who pointed the rifle at the officer. The officer then retreated down the ladder, and the gunman quickly fired toward Trump, the officials said. That’s when U.S. Secret Service gunmen shot him.
Questions abounded about how the gunman could have gotten so close in the first place. Kevin Rojek, the agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said “it is surprising” that the gunman was able to open fire on the stage before the Secret Service killed him.
Bomb-making materials were found inside Crooks’ vehicle and at his home. The FBI described the devices as “rudimentary.”
His motive remained unclear. Crooks wasn’t on the FBI’s radar, and he was believed to have acted alone. Investigators combed through his social media feeds and his home but found no immediate threatening writing or posts. His family was cooperating. Crooks’ relatives did not return multiple messages seeking comment from the AP.
Crooks’ political leanings were also not clear. Records show that Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania.
But federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in as president.
The absence of a clear ideological motive added to the deepening questions about the shooting, denying the public any swift or tidy conclusions about the shocking crime.
Biden urged Americans to stay patient. “I urge everyone — everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations,” he said.
The attack was the most serious attempt to kill a president or presidential candidate since President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It drew new attention to concerns about political violence in a deeply polarized U.S. less than four months before the presidential election.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said agents have seen increasingly violent rhetoric online since the rally, along with people posing online as the dead shooter.
“We’re also focused on the continuing efforts — which were already substantial, given that they’re national security special events — to conventions in Chicago, in Milwaukee,” he said.
On Sunday, Biden ordered a security review of operations for the Republican National Convention, which is proceeding as planned. The Secret Service said it was “confident” in the security plan for the RNC, and no additional changes are planned.
Biden, who is running against Trump, said the two men had a “short but good” conversation Saturday night. The president returned to Washington, where he met with leaders in the Situation Room about the attack, from his Delaware beach home.
Biden said during a White House address Sunday afternoon that “there is no place in America for this kind of violence.”
“We cannot allow this to happen,” Biden said.