On July 13, 2024, the former President of the United States and nominee of the Republic Party in the 2024 presidential election survived an assassination attempt near Butler, Pennsylvania. The assassination attempt occurred while he was addressing a campaign rally. During an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, Donald Trump, with Republican Vice President nominee JD Vance, stated, “Nobody mentioned it” regarding a potential danger.
His statement holds weight because the attacker could position himself less than 135 yards(443 Feet) away. With defence snipers already positioned to neutralize any potential threat. Many attendees witnessed the man setting his gun and alerted the authorities way before Trump came on stage. The Secret Services and Kimberly Cheatle, director of Secret Services, have to face heavy criticism over this negligence. Questions arise when the attendees saw the attacker 26 minutes before the shooting and why the law enforcement delayed acting upon hearing the alerts from the witnesses. The case is still under investigation.
Who was the attacker?
The attacker was Thomas Matthew Crooks. A 20-year-old kitchen worker was from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, about 73km (43 miles) away from the attempted site. Why use the word was? Because as he fired his gun, he was neutralized by security snipers. Not before he took the life of 50-year-old volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, who died protecting his family. Two people who receive wounds are David Dutch, 57-year-old and James Copenhaver, 74-year-old.
