What to know about the attempt on Trump’s life and its aftermath

The FBI is still trying to determine the motive behind Saturday’s attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump. The tone of the Republican convention in Milwaukee this week is likely to be dominated by violence.

A former fire chief killed at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally is being remembered as a “man of conviction.”

The shooting injured two other men and pierced Trump’s upper ear with a bullet. The 20-year-old who authorities say carried out the attack allegedly acted alone with his father’s gun.

Here’s what we know so far about the attack on Trump and its aftermath:

Officials say Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania — about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the shooting — first came to the attention of police when onlookers at the Trump rally noticed that he was acting strangely outside the event. Specifically, he was walking near the magnetometers, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

The gunman reached a nearby rooftop with an AR-style rifle and a local police officer climbed onto the roof and found Crooks, who pointed the rifle at the officer, Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told The Associated PressThe officer walked down the ladder and the gunman quickly fired at Trump.

Trump showed a graph showing the number of border crossings when the gunfire started.

When the first bang sounded Trump said, “Oh,” He then raised his hand to his right ear and looked at it, then quickly crouched down on the floor behind his desk.

Someone could be heard at the microphone saying, “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as officers rushed to the podium. They climbed on top of the former president to shield him with their bodies while other officers took up positions on the podium to search for the threat.

Officials said the gunman was shot dead by U.S. Secret Service gunmen.

Trump later said the upper part of his right ear was pierced by a bulletHis aides said he was in “good spirits” and doing well. He arrived in Milwaukee Sunday night for the convention, which begins Monday.

Investigators are searching for clues and the lack of a clear ideological motive has so far led to many conspiracy theories.

The FBI said it believes Crooks acted alone. Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological views that could help explain what led him to target Trump.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. An FBI official told reporters that Crooks’ family is cooperating with investigators.

Crooks’ political leanings weren’t immediately clear. Records show Crooks was a registered Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day Biden was sworn in.

Jason Kohler, who said he went to the same high school but did not share classes with Crooks, said Crooks was bullied at school and sat alone during lunch. Other students made fun of the clothes he wore, including hunting gear, Kohler said.

“He was just an outsider, and you know how kids are these days,” Kohler told reporters.

Crooks worked at a nursing home as a dietary aide, a job that typically involves preparing food. Marcie Grimm, the administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, said in a statement that she was “shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement.” Grimm added that Crooks had a clean background check when he was hired.

The FBI is investigating the shooting as a possible act of domestic terrorism and questions arose about how the shooter was able to get so close in the first place.

Kevin Rojek, the agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, said it was “surprising” that the shooter was able to open fire on the stage before the Secret Service killed him.

Bomb-making materials were found in both Crooks’ vehicle and his home, officials said. The FBI described the devices as “rudimentary.”

Governor Josh Shapiro said Sunday that the man killed at the Trump rally, Corey Comperatore, “He dived on his family to protect them.”

“Corey died a hero,” the governor said. Comperatore, 50, was a former fire chief.

Pennsylvania State Police identified two other men who were shot: David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township. Both men remained hospitalized and in stable condition, state police said.

Comperatore’s quick decision to use his body as a shield from the bullets whizzing toward his wife and daughter was music to the ears of close friends and neighbors who loved and respected the proud 50-year-old Trump supporter, who noted that the Butler County resident was a “man of conviction.”

“He’s a true hero. He pushed his family out of the way and was killed for them,” said Mike Morehouse, who has lived next door to Comperatore for the past eight years. “He’s a hero I wish I had as a neighbor.”

Randy Reamer, president of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department, called Comperatore “a steadfast guy” and “a true brother to the fire department.” He said Comperatore served as chief of the company for about three years but was also a life member, meaning he had served for more than 20 years.

“Just a great all-rounder, always willing to help someone out,” Reamer said of Comperatore. “He absolutely stood up for what he believed in, never gave up on anyone. … He was a really good guy.”

The Republican National Convention begins Monday, with Trump and his advisers promising resilience in the face of attackThe four-day event will spotlight the former president and his platform as his party formally selects him as its candidate.

It was not immediately clear if or how Saturday’s attack would alter the convention, which normally has a celebratory atmosphere. Republican officials have said they intend to defy the threats Trump has faced and stick to their plans and schedule. But at the very least, the event is expected to have a heightened focus on security and a stark acknowledgement of how astonishingly close Trump came to losing his life.

The presumptive Republican candidate and his allies will undoubtedly face the nation united and ready to “fight,” as a bloodied Trump shouted on Saturday while Secret Service agents escorted him to safety at his Pennsylvania rally.

Anger and fear rage through the party, even as many top Republicans call for calm and a reduction in tensions. As elected officials, politicians and a few ordinary Americans address the convention, the question is what tone will prevail in the aftermath of the attack: Will the speeches become more fiery, or will calls for calm prevail?