On July 13, former president and current candidate Donald Trump was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pa.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman, was reported to have “fired from the roof of a warehouse less than 500 feet from Mr. Trump before being killed by counter snipers,” according to the New York Times. He used “an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle” which he bought from his father.
50-year-old Corey Comperatore of Sarver, Pa, was unfortunately a victim of the gunfire and is survived by his wife and two daughters. 57-year-old David Dutch of New Kensington, Pa, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver of Moon Township, Pa, were seriously injured.
Aside from the bullet grazing and bloodying his ear, Trump was in good condition. At his next public appearance, he began his speech with, “Let me begin this evening by expressing my gratitude to the American people for your outpouring of love and support following the assassination attempt at my rally on Saturday.” He recognized that the bullet came very close to ending his life, and noted that he survived “only by the grace of Almighty God.”
Last week, another assassination attempt was made on him in West Palm Beach, FL, at his golf club. This came just nine weeks after the first attempt.
U.S. Secret Service agents who were “stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away,” as reported by AP News.
When one of the agents fired his weapon, the suspect ran to an SUV and drove off, leaving behind the rifle, a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro. He was later found in a nearby county.
“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” Trump wrote in an email to supporters. “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
The man was identified as 58-year-old Ryan Routh, and as of Monday, prosecutors are planning to charge him with attempted assassination. If convicted, Routh will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Routh’s fingerprints were found on the weapon left at the scene, so for the time being, he is being held without bond under the charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Prosecutors found that he had been surveying the golf course within the prior month and had also left a note at a friend’s house which read: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you…I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster…It is up to you to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”
However, said note was left at the house months ago, and in his SUV there was a roster of dates spanning from August to September listing where Trump had been and where he was going, leading investigators to believe this had been planned for some time.
Agents “found six cellphones — including one that contained a Google search of how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico — as well as 12 pairs of gloves, a Hawaii driver’s license in Mr. Routh’s name and a passport” in his SUV as well, according to the New York Times.
As the election comes closer and due to these two attempts in such a short period of time, Trump has been granted more security to ensure his safety.
ajones11@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @realdonaldtrump, Instagram
