The suspected Trump rally shooter bought 50 rounds of ammunition, hours before carrying out the attack, according to a report.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was identified by law enforcement as the gunman who attempted to assassinate the former president at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday evening.
Senior law enforcement officials told CNN that Crooks bought a large amount of ammo from a local gun store shortly before the attack. The Independent has asked the FBI for more information.
Crooks used a legally purchased, AR-style rifle with 5.56-caliber bullets in the shooting. Federal law enforcement believes that the gun belonged to Crooks’ father.
Records, reviewed by CNN, reveal that the gunman’s father had more than 20 legally purchased guns registered to himself.
The FBI’s preliminary investigation revealed that Crooks possibly had bomb-making materials in the car that he drove to the rally grounds.
Investigators found a transmitter on the gunman but it is unclear at this time if it was related to the possible explosives found in the vehicle.
Law enforcement officials believe Crooks acted alone in the shooting.
The shooting injured the former president and killed a rally-goer, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore. Two other men have been critically injured.
The shooter was shot dead by snipers after he opened fire, shortly after 6 p.m. on Saturday.
The former president was minutes into his speech when several gunshots rang out. Trump turned his head in the direction of the gunfire, and a bullet grazed his right ear.
Secret Service agents tackled the former president and formed a barricade around him before rushing him from the stage to a waiting motorcade.
Crooks’ family members told The Independent that they were shocked by the 20-year-old’s actions and could not understand why he carried out the shooting.
“I haven’t seen the kid since he was little,” his uncle Mark Crooks said. “He never wanted to bother [with maintaining a relationship], so we don’t see him.”
Publicly available information revealed Crooks was a registered Republican but donated to a Democratic PAC in 2021.
So far, the FBI has not identified a motive but they have obtained Crooks’ cellphone to assist their investigation.
President Joe Biden delivered remarks on Sunday from the White House, urging the public to avoid assumptions about the suspected gunman’s motives or affiliations.
The shooting is being investigated as an assassination attempt as well as potential domestic terrorism.