Donald Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks’ dad breaks silence after try
The father of the man who was fatally shot following a botched assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, has broken his silence.
Trump was targeted by an assassin’s bullet on Saturday during his speech at a rally in Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed through his right ear while he was addressing the crowd.
About six minutes into his speech at Butler, Trump suddenly stopped speaking and touched the side of his face before ducking for cover.
Loud detonations reverberated through the audience and blood was observed trickling down the 78 year old’s face before additional shots were fired to “neutralise” the perpetrator. One rally-goer lost their life and two others are critically wounded.
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Videos from the rally recorded Trump being protected by a squad of Secret Service personnel. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was taken out by law enforcement officers on a rooftop over 130 yards away, where a bloodied body was later seen, reports the Mirror.
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(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Trump received medical treatment at a hospital and was discharged before flying back to New Jersey that evening. Described as a “lone wolf”, Crooks is under FBI scrutiny as they continue their investigation into his motives and history.
The father of the alleged shooter, Matthew Crooks, aged 53, spoke to CNN, stating he’s piecing together the events and will hold off on comments until he’s had a chat with the authorities. His son, hailing from Bethel Park – a small community in Pennsylvania about 40 miles south of the Butler event, is believed to have used an AR-style rifle in an attempt to assassinate Trump, which was later found by police when the suspect was taken down.
FBI special agent Kevin Rojek briefed the press, saying: “We’re looking at photographs right now and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation.”
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(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The FBI has since identified Crooks as the man involved in the assault on Trump early Sunday morning.
It’s been reported that the suspect was perched atop the roof of a nearby factory, over 130 yards from where Trump was rallying the crowd in Butler. Trump himself took to Truth Social to update on his condition, posting: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
He described the harrowing experience: “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
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(Image: Getty Images)
Trump expressed his sympathies for the family of the deceased attendee and praised the swift action of law enforcement. In the meantime, Trump’s team has confirmed that he is “fine” and plans to be present at a convention in Milwaukee the following week.
US President Joe Biden blasted the attack as “sick”, declaring: “We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this. Everybody must condemn it”, as reported by Bloomberg. Following the incident, Biden cut his weekend at Rehoboth Beach short to return to the White House and spoke with Trump.
This incident is noted as the first assassination attempt on a presidential candidate since the shooting of President Ronald Reagan in 1981, who had to undergo emergency surgery after a speaking event.
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