In a shocking incident at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump left one bystander dead and two others critically wounded. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene.
Crooks, a registered Republican who graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, fired multiple shots from an elevated position outside the rally. At age 17, he contributed $15 to ActBlue, an organization that collects funds for progressive and Democratic candidates, as reported in a 2021 Federal Election Commission document.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Crooks was granted a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative. The FBI is investigating the attack and has urged anyone with information to come forward.
The deceased victim, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore of Sarver, Pennsylvania, died protecting his family from gunfire. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro praised Comperatore as a hero, saying, “Corey dove on his family to protect them last night at this rally.” Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter and father of two, was described as an avid supporter of the former president.
Two other attendees were critically injured in the shooting. David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, are both reported to be in stable condition. Dutch, identified as a commandant in the Marine Corps League of Pennsylvania, underwent two surgeries after being shot in the liver and chest.
Former President Trump suffered a minor injury, with a bullet grazing his right ear. He described hearing a whizzing sound and feeling the bullet rip through his skin before being rushed off stage by Secret Service agents.
The shooting has sent shockwaves through the community and the nation, with calls for peace and unity in the face of political violence. Governor Shapiro ordered flags to fly at half-staff in honor of Comperatore, and a GoFundMe campaign for the victims’ families has raised over $3 million.
As the investigation continues, authorities are working to determine the shooter’s motives and how he was able to access the area with a weapon. The incident has sparked discussions about security at political events and the broader issue of violence in American politics from a brawl at a 2016 Trump rally, a supporter who mailed bombs to critics in 2018, another who broke into Nancy Pelosi’s home in 2022, a mob of his supporters attacking Congress in January, and
