Live updates: FBI, Secret Service investigating motive of Trump rally shooter

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said its agents were on the scene of the shooting within minutes and helped identify the shooter.

The ATF's National Tracing Center traced the gun using records from a dealer that had gone out of business, an ATF spokesperson told CBS News. Results were provided to the FBI and Secret Service in less than 30 minutes and helped identify the shooter.

The spokesperson said the bureau is continuing to help with firearm evidence, including securing additional evidence and locations for the execution of warrants. The ATF is also assisting with the investigation into the suspected destructive devices found in the gunman's vehicle. 

Trump remains in good spirits and has described the assassination attempt to friends, according to two people familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly. 

He has detailed what it was like onstage to several family members, aides and friends, recounting how the bullet sounded and how he noticed blood on his hand after he touched his ear, these people said.

Trump has recalled his conversation with a doctor and medical professionals who treated him. He is reflecting to some about how close he came to a fatal injury.

He has told many people the convention must go on and is eager to appear before his supporters soon, the people said. He has not discussed his vice presidential selection with these sources, and people are mostly resisting bringing the matter up with him unless they're his top aides.

Trump has also described his phone call with President Biden as positive and brief, offering no further details to most associates.

Trump's plane touched down in Milwaukee, where Republicans are gathering this week to formally nominate him for president. 

Trump said earlier in the day that he had decided against delaying his arrival in the city, writing that he "cannot allow a 'shooter,' or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else."

The two victims who were injured in the shooting remain in critical but stable condition, according to a spokesperson for Allegheny General Hospital, who noted their status is "essentially the same as [it was] last night."

Earlier in the day, the Pennsylvania State Police identified the two injured victims as 57-year-old David Dutch of New Kensington and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township.

A high school classmate of Thomas Matthew Crooks told CBS News he never personally saw Crooks bullied in school.

Mark Sigafoos, 19, took two classes and graduated with Crooks from Pennsylvania's Bethel Park High School in 2022. 

"Shocked is an understatement," Sigafoos said, upon learning that Crooks was the shooter at the Trump rally.

Sigafoos said that while Crooks was "definitely nerdy for sure," he "never gave off that he was creepy or like a school shooter."

"He seemed like he wouldn't hurt a fly," Sigafoos said.

The shooter was smart, approachable and friendly, Sigafoos said, adding that they sat next to each other in an AP Economics class, where Crooks was frequently engaged and volunteering answers.

"It really makes me wonder what happened in the two years after graduating and maybe what outside influences there were," Sigafoos said.

An armed municipal officer with Butler Township encountered the gunman before the shooting, Butler County Sheriff Michael Sloupe confirmed to CBS News. 

The officer and others had been previously alerted to a suspicious person and began searching for him right away, Sloupe told CBS Pittsburgh reporter Jen Borrasso.

At some point, the officer was hoisted by another officer onto the roof of the building where the shooter was in position. The shooter focused his rifle towards the officer, who let go and fell off the roof. Then the shooter began firing into the crowd, according to Sloupe.

A law enforcement source confirmed that authorities found rudimentary bomb-making material at the gunman's residence and in his vehicle. The FBI is analyzing the devices at Quantico.

Crooks had a membership to a local gun club in Clairton, Pennsylvania.

"We can confirm that Mr. Crooks was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club," Clairton Sportsmen's Club president Bill Sellitto said. "Beyond that, the club is unable to make any additional commentary in relation to this matter in light of pending law enforcement investigations. Obviously, the Club fully admonishes the senseless act of violence that occurred yesterday. The Club also offers its sincerest condolences to the Comperatore family and extends prayers to all of those injured, including the former president."

The Secret Service said Sunday that it has made no changes its security plan for the Republican National Convention, and is "confident in the security plans," in the wake of the Trump rally shooting.

At a news conference about the convention security, the Secret Service said there have not been any discussions about banning guns in the soft perimeter, the area immediately outside the hard perimeter of the convention. The inner perimeter is the area that requires credentials for entry. 

The Milwaukee police chief, Jeffrey Norman, said that under state law, guns are allowed in the soft perimeter because "it's a state law — we can't change that," adding that law enforcement had to respect 2nd Amendment rights.

He said he did not anticipate any changes to the security perimeter.

After last night's assassination attempt against Trump, the Republican National Convention has put federal, state and local law enforcement officials on even higher alert heading into the convention.

The convention, where the GOP will come together to officially nominate Trump, is expected to continue as planned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this week.

The Pennsylvania State Police has identified three victims who were shot during the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, was identified earlier today as the man who was killed while attempting to shield his family from the gunfire.

The second victim, who was wounded in the shooting, has been identified as 57-year-old David Dutch of New Kensington, Pennsylvania. State police say he's in stable condition. 

And James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, the third victim, is in stable condition. 

Read more here.

The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was a "nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone," said former classmate Jameson Myers. 

Myers was in the same class as Crooks at Bethel Park High School and was on the varsity rifle team. He said that Crooks tried out for the team as a freshman but did not make the junior varsity roster. 

"I never have thought him capable of anything I've seen him do in the last few days," Myers said.

Read more here.

Congress will conduct an investigation into the assassination attempt against Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson said. 

Johnson plans to call Secret Service, FBI and Homeland Security officials to appear before lawmakers. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer posted a letter inviting Secret Service Director Kimberly A. Cheatle to testify at a hearing on July 22.

Questions are being raised about how shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to get so close to Trump. He climbed onto the roof of a shed about 400 feet from the podium and opened fire before he was killed by a Secret Service sniper.

 A.T. Smith, a former Secret Service deputy director and CBS News national security contributor, told "Face the Nation" that sources said the agency had an "adequate amount of time" to prepare for the rally. 

"The most glaring question to be asked is: how did this individual make it to the roof of that building with a long rifle, an AR-15-type rifle, apparently?" Smith said. 

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that the agency had implemented protective measures for the rally. Personnel positioned around the stage where the former president was speaking rushed to surround Trump and sweep him off the stage to his motorcade after the shooting. In another statement Sunday, the Secret Service denied any suggestion that protective resources had been denied. 

"The assertion that a member of the former President's security team requested additional security resources that the U.S. Secret Service or the Department of Homeland Security rebuffed is absolutely false," Guglielmi said. "In fact, recently the U.S. Secret Service added protective resources and capabilities to the former President's security detail." 

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the GOP House campaign arm, has paused its digital fundraising efforts since the shooting, according to an NRCC spokesperson. It's not clear how long the freeze will remain in effect. 

The Biden campaign said Saturday night that it has paused all outgoing communications. The campaign was also trying to take down ads already scheduled to air. 

Trump said he won't delay his trip to Wisconsin for the Republican National Convention after the attempt on his life Saturday, saying he will be leaving this afternoon as scheduled.

"Based on yesterday's terrible events, I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin, and The Republican National Convention, by two days, but have just decided that I cannot allow a 'shooter,' or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling, or anything else," Trump wrote in a social media post.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will conduct an investigation into the shooting, an aide to Chairman Gary Peters said.

The panel also requested a briefing for its members "as soon as possible," and Peters, a Michigan Democrat, will speak with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday. Committee staff will also receive a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security, the aide said.

There will likely be additional steps, including hearings, as senators learn more about what occurred at Trump's rally, according to Peters' aide.

The president said the motives of the shooter aren't yet known, noting that the investigation is still in its early stages. The president told Americans not to "make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations" and to let the FBI and partner agencies do their job.

"I've instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift and the investigators will have every resource they need to get this done," he said. 

Mr. Biden said he directed the head of the U.S. Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, to examine security measures for this week's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and has called for an independent review of the security at the rally to assess what took place.

Mr. Biden said the results of that review will be shared with the public.

President Biden said in brief remarks at the White House that he was "sincerely grateful" that Trump is doing well, adding that he spoke with the former president on Saturday night. He characterized the call as a "short, good" conversation, and he also said he would address the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. tonight.

Mr. Biden called for unity in the wake of the assassination attempt, and he denounced political violence.

"There's no place in America for this kind of violence, or any violence for that matter," the president said. "An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. It's not who we are as a nation."

The president said that unity is the "most elusive goal of all" and added that "nothing is more important than that right now. Unity."

— Kaia Hubbard and Melissa Quinn

The president is rescheduling his trip to Texas, which was planned for Monday, the White House said. Mr. Biden was scheduled to visit the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, to mark the 60th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson's signing of the Civil Rights Act.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, who continues to receive briefings on the attack on the former president, will stay in Washington, D.C., this week, Justice Department Director of Public Affairs Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement. 

The attorney general was slated to travel to Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Kansas this week for meetings with local law enforcement and to speak at the National Bar Association, according to the statement.

"He will no longer travel and will stay in Washington, D.C., to closely monitor the investigation," Hinojosa said. 

Two law enforcement sources say the gun was legally purchased by and registered to the shooter's father, Matthew Crooks. The shooter had an AR-style weapon. 

— Pat Milton and Adam Yamaguchi  

President Biden will speak at the White House Sunday a day after the assassination attempt.

The president spoke briefly Saturday night in Delaware after Trump, with blood visible on his face, was whisked off stage at a Pennsylvania rally when a gunman's bullet grazed his ear. The president, who has been updated regularly by top administration officials, received another briefing in the White House Situation Room on Sunday.

The White House released a photo of the Situation Room briefing by top homeland security and law enforcement officials. It shows Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood Randall, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, White House counsel Ed Siskeland deputy Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had spoken with the wife and daughters of the man who died in the shooting on Saturday, Corey Comperatore.

"We lost a fellow Pennsylvanian last night, Corey Comperatore," Shapiro said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon. "Corey was a 'girl dad,' Corey was a firefighter, Corey went to church every Sunday, Corey loved his community."

Shapiro said Corey "dove on his family to protect them," adding that he "died a hero."

"Corey was the very best of us," the governor said. 

Suspicious devices, which could have been explosives or incendiary, were found in the gunman's vehicle, CBS News' investigative unit has learned. A device that appeared capable of triggering the devices was in the gunman's possession. Bomb technicians called to the scene were involved in securing and investigating the devices.

Melania Trump, the wife of former President Donald Trump, issued a statement on Sunday, calling the attempted assassination of her husband a "heinous act."

"America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one," the former first lady said in a statement shared on social media.

She said that when she watched the "violent bullet" strike her husband, she realized that her life and that of the couple's son Barron was "on the brink of devasting change."

"A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald's passion — his laughter, ingenuity, love of music and inspiration," Melania wrote, adding: "This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence."

The former first lady thanked everyone for their support, in particular the law enforcement officials who risked their lives to protect that of her husband. 

Read more here.

Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York are planning on introducing bipartisan legislation to provide Trump, Mr. Biden and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with enhanced Secret Service protection, according to Torres's office. 

"Last night's attempted assassination of former President Trump was a dark moment in our nation's history," the two congressmen said in a joint statement. "As reports continue to emerge, it's clear that more protection is needed for all major candidates for president. That's why we're planning on introducing bipartisan legislation providing President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr., with enhanced Secret Service protection. Anything less would be a disservice to our democracy."

The RFK Jr. campaign has long been asking for Secret Service protection. His father, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated during the 1968 Democratic presidential primaries. 

— Nidia Cavazos and Kathryn Watson 

Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to campaign on reproductive rights Tuesday in Palm Beach County, Trump's backyard. 

But a Biden-Harris campaign official said the event has been canceled following Sunday's shooting. In the aftermath, Harris said she was "relieved" Trump wasn't seriously injured. 

"Violence such as this has no place in our nation," she said in a statement. "We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence."

Two law enforcement sources told CBS News that the shooter was spotted outside the security perimeter as people were filing into the rally, and he was reported by a bystander to the Butler County Sheriff's Office. He was identified as a suspicious person by police, the sources said. 

The sources said officials momentarily lost track of the gunman. Six minutes after Trump started talking, the shooter crawled up the side of the shed, and "popped up" on the roof, then immediately began shooting, the law enforcement sources said. He was lying flat on the shed — not walking or standing. There was very little time that passed between when he popped up and when shots rang out. 

The gunman fired 6 to 8 rounds using a semi-automatic AR-style rifle from his position approximately 400 feet from the podium. 

Secret Service counter sniper teams "had him" within seconds — the threat was neutralized almost immediately after shots were fired, the law enforcement sources said. 

— Nicole Sganga and Pat Milton

According to multiple law enforcement officials, the shooter was armed with a semi-automatic AR-style rifle. ATF is tracing the weapon. 

The gunman was on top of a shed outside the security perimeter set up by the Secret Service, and opened fire from about 400 feet away from the stage, law enforcement sources said. 

Read more here.

Details about the shooter, Thomas Crooks, began surfacing after the FBI identified him as the subject involved in the assassination attempt. He was a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School. 

A law enforcement official told CBS News that the Secret Service and FBI are investigating the gunman's background and speaking with his family. 

No foreign terrorism ties are known to Crooks at this time and the gunman was not on law enforcement's radar, a law enforcement official said. 

There was no indication that Crooks had a connection to any military branch, officials confirmed to CBS News. 

Crooks' political leanings were not immediately clear. Records show he was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania but previously made a $15 donation to a Democratic-aligned group, CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA reported.

The Secret Service issued a statement on Sunday morning saying it was "untrue" that a member of Trump's team had requested more Secret Service protection.

"There's an untrue assertion that a member of the former President's team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed. This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel" protocols, the Secret Service said in a statement. 

Trump has had a Secret Service detail since 2016, and all former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for the remainder of their lives, unless that person declines. Trump was given additional protection in June as part of the protocol for the process for a presumptive presidential nominee. Those additional protections include additional manpower, counter sniper, drones and robotic dogs. 

Trump campaign senior advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita instructed campaign staff in a memo to stay away from offices in Washington, D.C., and Palm Beach, Florida, while the locations are assessed and security enhanced. 

"Our highest priority is to keep all of you on this staff safe," the advisers said in the memo, which noted that the RNC Convention in Milwaukee will continue as planned.

"We also urge you to recognize the political polarization in this heated election," the managers said, instructing staff not to comment publicly on the incident. "We condemn all forms of violence, and will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric on social media."

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday on NBC's Today that he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last night, and that "everyone needs to turn the rhetoric down."

"We can have heated political discourse and debates but it shouldn't be personal and we shouldn't be targeting people," Johnson said. "I mean, look, President Biden himself said in recent days, it's time to put the bullseye on Trump. I mean, I know that he didn't mean what is being implied there, but that kind of language on either side should be called out and we have to make clear that this is part of our system. We can have vigorous debate, but it needs to end there."

Johnson has called on the House to conduct an investigation into the shooting. 

Law enforcement officials on Sunday swarmed the home believed to be connected with the shooter in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

Public records show the home is that of 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, who federal law enforcement officials identified as the shooter who opened fire at the rally in Butler on Saturday evening.

One neighbor, who lives only a few homes down the road from the gunman, told CBS Pittsburgh that police evacuated her home in the middle of the night. She was told noon on Sunday was the earliest she could be allowed back into her home.

"They asked us to leave our house. They told us it was a state of emergency, no warning, just a knock on the door in the middle of the night," Kelly Little said. "They told us we could come back in a couple of hours, likely." 

Read more on CBS Pittsburgh.

Trump posted on Truth Social early Sunday that Americans need to "remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness," hours after a gunman opened fire at his Pennsylvania rally, leaving him injured. 

"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," Trump wrote. "I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin."

Trump is scheduled to speak Thursday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.