The FBI and state law enforcement officials have “tentatively identified” a person as the shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally outside Pittsburgh on Saturday.
“There have been some complications that have slowed the processing of the case” and the identification of the shooter, according to Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens, who spoke at a news conference Saturday night with an FBI spokesman.
The FBI confirmed that it had no information about a threat prior to the event.
Minutes into Trump’s speech at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, there were loud popping noises and people crouched. Trump appeared to hold his face or ear and fall to the ground. When he got up, surrounded by Secret Service agents, blood was streaming down his face.
“It was a chaotic scene,” Bivens said. “Law enforcement, I believe, acted heroically.”
Trump was taken to nearby Butler Memorial Hospital.
Video showed Trump’s motorcade leaving the hospital around 9:10 p.m. Trump left Butler shortly afterward, according to a statement from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Bivens said law enforcement was “checking out multiple” reports of “suspicious” activity at the scene. Bivens added that 30 to 40 Pennsylvania State Police officers were at the rally.
Authorities said they have identified only one suspect, but are not ready to definitively identify the person, saying only that it is a man.
“We’re close to that identification,” FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said at Saturday night’s news conference. There is no known motive, Rojek added.
Rojek said the group “did not assume this was a lone wolf attack,” but he did not mention any additional leads.
Bivens said there was “no other existing threat” to the public.
“It’s still an active crime scene,” Rojek said. “We’re looking at all lines of investigation.”
In addition to the shooter, a rally attendee was also killed. Two other adult men were seriously injured, according to Bivens.
An emergency room doctor told CBS News he thought the noises “were firecrackers at first,” but then heard someone yell, “He’s been shot, he’s been shot.”
“The guy turned around and got stuck between the benches,” the doctor said. “He had a bullet in his head. There was a lot of blood and he had brain damage.”
The investigation into the shooting is officially ongoing, as it is an attempted assassination. Rojek said the investigation will continue in the coming “days, weeks and months.” Trump is expected in Milwaukee next week for the Republican National Convention, where he will be officially inaugurated as president.
Anyone with information that could assist the FBI is asked to call the FBI hotline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Information can also be submitted to fbi.gov/butler.
Rojek said the videos and photos are helpful, as is information about the shooter once his identity is revealed.
Do you have a story? Newsweek Have questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
Uncommon knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
