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Trump shooting live updates: Family of man killed at rally releases new statement

One spectator was killed and two were hurt in Saturday's shooting.

Last Updated: July 18, 2024, 9:07 AM EDT

Federal authorities are investigating after former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

The alleged shooter was killed by snipers. One spectator was killed and two were hurt, officials said.

    55 minutes ago

    What we know about the shooting

    Investigators working to determine a motive behind the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump are examining a message left on a gaming platform site purported to have been authored by the suspect, according to multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the probe. Read more here.

    This aerial image shows the location of the stage at the Trump rally in Butler, Pa., and the suspected shooter's location on a rooftop near the venue.
    ABC News

    9:07 AM EDT

    'God was with me,' Trump tells supporters

    PBS News has obtained video of former President Donald Trump’s Wednesday appearance during the movie screening of "Trump’s Rescue Mission: Saving America."

    Trump told supporters of the shooting, “I got lucky, God was with me.”

    Secret Service tend to republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump onstage at a rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
    Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    "That was an amazing, horrible thing. Amazing thing, and in many ways it changes your attitude, your viewpoint towards life. And honestly, I think you appreciate God even more," he said.

    "It wasn’t like it was a complete miss. It was pretty terrible that that can happen," Trump added.

    -ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Soorin Kim

    8:34 AM EDT

    Gunman may have left message on gaming platform

    Investigators are examining a message left on a gaming platform site purported to have been authored by the suspect, according to multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the probe.

    Investigators, according to multiple law enforcement sources, found a post on the gaming platform Steam that is credited to the suspected gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. The post reads, "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." Investigators are working to determine whether the post is legitimate.

    Investigators are still working to determine a motive behind the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

    Crooks had been registered as a Republican voter, according to state records. But a $15 donation to a progressive group was also recorded under "Thomas Crooks" in January 2021, according to FEC records.

    This post has been updated based on additional information from the FBI.

    The Butler Farm Show, site of a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, is seen Monday July 15, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
    Gene J. Puskar/AP

    6:50 PM EDT

    Suspected gunman had searched for Trump’s rally date, DNC convention

    Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected gunman in the assassination attempt on Donald Trump last Saturday, searched on his phone for the dates of the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and for dates of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.

    Crooks also searched on his phone for images of both the former president and current president, sources said.

    The suspect’s phone search history revealed no indication of his political views.

    -ABC News' Aaron Katersky

    6:58 PM EDT

    Secret Service killed Trump rally shooter 26 seconds after first shot

    Law enforcement officials investigating the assassination attempt on Donald Trump told lawmakers today in an unclassified briefing that 20 minutes passed between the time Secret Service snipers first spotted Crooks on the roof and the time shots were fired at the former president, according to several law enforcement officials and lawmakers briefed on the matter.

    According to this source, briefers said the snipers spotted him on the roof at 5:52 p.m. ET. The shooting happened at 6:12 p.m., 20 minutes later.

    The briefing was conducted by the FBI Director, his Deputy Director and the head of the USSS.

    In addition, briefers told lawmakers Crooks was identified as a person of interest a full 62 minutes before the shooting took place.

    From the time he fired his first shot to Crooks being killed was just 26 seconds, according to law enforcement officials. Eleven seconds after the first shot, USSS counter snipers acquired their target -- and 15 seconds after that, Crooks was shot dead.

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