Questions are swirling following an attempted shooting of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, during a campaign rally on Saturday ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Law enforcement officials say two people are dead, including 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, and Trump is among several injured after a gunman opened fire from outside of the rally with an automatic rifle.
The Secret Service quickly shielded the presumptive GOP nominee on stage, where he was delivering remarks as shots rang out, and Crooks was killed by agents within seconds. A victim believed to have been hit in the stands by gunfire that missed Trump was declared dead at the scene.
Trump, who was grazed by a bullet on his right ear, quickly rose to his feet and raised a fist to cheers even as he bled from his wounds. He was then quickly shuffled off the premises to a nearby hospital, where he was released on Saturday night.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump posted on his Truth Social site shortly after the shooting. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that multiple shots were fired “from an elevated position outside the rally venue,” confirming photo and video footage shared on social media that showed an incapacitated Crooks on a rooftop near the event.
“The incident is currently under investigation and the Secret Service has formally notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Here is the latest information from our investigation. We are grateful to the Secret Service team and our law enforcement partners for their swift action. Our thoughts go out to the families affected by this tragedy. pic.twitter.com/E8FazqtUVZ
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) July 14, 2024
Several bystanders at the rally told reporters they saw a perched Crooks well before shots were fired and notified law enforcement and Secret Service agents. Some have said no adequate steps were taken in response, but those claims have not been verified.
No information has been publicized concerning a motive or intended target, though as of Sunday morning the incident has been described by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an assassination attempt. President Joe Biden, who condemned the shooting in a televised briefing on Saturday, declined to make a statement on its specific nature.
“I have an opinion, but I don't have any facts,” Biden told the press after attending vigil Mass in Delaware. “So, I want to make sure we have all the facts before I make some comment.”
Biden’s fellow Democrats, including several Catholics, have largely eschewed partisan rhetoric in the wake of the shooting—a move echoed by many (though not all) prominent Republicans.
“Political violence is unacceptable and should never be tolerated,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, one of the nation’s two Black Catholic congressmen alongside Rep. Gabe Amo of Rhode Island, who shared similar comments.
“The attack at today's rally in PA is an affront to our democracy, and our thoughts are with the former president and all those affected,” added the Catholic-raised Kelley J. Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, which has sharply critiqued Trump in the past.
Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, a Black Catholic who has also stood against the former president since the start of his 2016 presidential campaign, called the shooting “sobering” and implored a “retreat from inflamed passions.”
“The senseless attempt on the life of former President Trump must be condemned by all Americans.”
Some other Republicans have taken the shooting as an opportunity for triumphalism, touting the GOP frontrunner’s resilience and placing blame on those who have spoken of the GOP frontrunner as a threat to democracy.
Former congressional hopeful John Gibbs, a Trump-endorsed Black Catholic from Michigan, took to Twitter/X on Saturday, sharing various hardline perspectives and voicing disdain for the Biden administration.
“Was getting ready to eat dinner but lost my appetite,” he posted shortly after the shooting. “God, help our anger to be righteous.”
NEVER SURRENDER pic.twitter.com/H7QEDjPDj9
— John Gibbs (@votejohngibbs) July 13, 2024
Several U.S. Catholic bishops have condemned Saturday’s incident, which took place across the street from a parish church in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The local ordinary, David Zubik, framed the shooting as an outworking of broader societal dysfunction.
“Let us join together in prayer for the health and safety of all, for healing and peace, and for an end to this climate of violence in our world,” he said in a statement. “May God guide and protect us all.”
The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Services, spoke similarly and offered condolences to the victims.
“We condemn political violence, and we offer our prayers for President Trump, and those who were killed or injured,” he said. “We also pray for our country and for an end to political violence, which is never a solution to political disagreements. We ask all people of goodwill to join us in praying for peace in our country.”
The nation’s lone Black cardinal, former USCCB president Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington—who occasionally spoke out against Trump during his presidency—released a statement following the tack of his fellow prelates.
“I ask our people of the Archdiocese of Washington and everyone of good will to keep former President Trump and all those killed or injured in last evening’s violence in our prayers,” he said. “May those who work for the security of our country be strengthened in their duties. Let our nation be a land of peace.”
Also on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Vatican called the shooting a threat to democracy.
“The Holy See expresses its concern for last night's episode of violence,” said Holy See press director Matteo Bruni. “It joins the U.S. Bishops’ prayer for America, for the victims and for peace in the country, so that the motives of the violent may never prevail.”
Trump, who was enjoying favorable poll numbers prior to the shooting, will reportedly continue his campaign and appear this week at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. There, he is expected to be officially named to the GOP ticket for the 2024 presidential election this fall.
“As our party's nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again,” said RNC national chairman Michael Whatley late Saturday night.
The FBI is leading a multi-pronged federal probe into the Trump rally shooting, with the Secret Service, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Those with information are asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit fbi.gov/butler.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
