On July 13, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in an attack the FBI has investigated as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism. Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle from a rooftop overlooking the rally before he was killed by a U.S. Secret Service counter-sniper. Trump was struck by a bullet, while rally attendee Corey Comperatore was killed, and attendees David Dutch and James Copenhaver were wounded.
The FBI’s investigation found evidence that Crooks engaged in significant preparation before the attack. After the rally was announced, Crooks registered to attend and searched online for the distance between Lee Harvey Oswald and President John F. Kennedy during Kennedy’s assassination. He subsequently traveled to the rally site in what investigators described as apparent early surveillance and practiced at a shooting range with what the FBI believed was the same rifle used in the attack. Investigators also determined that Crooks had purchased firearms-related items under an alias and materials used to construct explosive devices. Two potentially functional explosive devices were later recovered from his vehicle near the rally.
Despite the extensive investigation, the FBI has not established a definitive motive for Crooks’ attack. The Bureau reported that it had found no credible evidence that he conspired with another person and said its investigation indicated that he acted alone. Investigators examined his electronic devices, accounts, search history and other records in an effort to understand what motivated the assassination attempt.
The FBI also disclosed that investigators identified a social-media account believed to have been associated with Crooks in 2019–2020 containing more than 700 comments. FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate testified that some of the comments, if ultimately attributable to Crooks, appeared to contain antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, support political violence, and express extreme views.