What we know about Trump rally shooting, victim and explosives

• Three spectators were shot, one who was killed and two who were critically injured. They were all men, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said. The shooter was also killed. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) identified the man who was killed as Butler County, Pa., resident Corey Comperatore.
• The sounds of gunfire broke out at 6:12 p.m. Trump stopped midsentence, grabbed his ear and dropped behind the lectern as security personnel piled on top of him. A Washington Post reporter at the rally said the shooting took place about 10 minutes into his speech. He described “a cloud of smoke” and “a lot of shouting and confusion.”
• Authorities are investigating explosive material found in the gunman’s vehicle and at his home, according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it.
• President Biden spoke with Trump on Saturday night, a White House official said. “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick,” Biden said in a public address the same evening, adding, “We cannot allow for this to happen.”
• After the shooting, Trump received treatment and appeared in good condition as he disembarked from a jet at Newark Liberty International Airport. A video posted by one of his aides shortly after midnight showed him descending the jet unassisted.

The FBI identified the gunman and called the attack an assassination attempt, adding that it was trying to determine his motive and asking the public to come forward with anything they know about the 20-year-old.

Bivens was asked whether the shooter acted alone and responded that it was “too early to say that.”

A bystander video verified by The Post showed the body of a man lying on the roof of a building about 400 feet from where Trump was speaking. The shooter fired from that roof, according to a person familiar with preliminary information gathered by investigators.

An AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle was used to carry out the attack, a U.S. official and another person familiar with the investigation said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the early stages of the investigation. Investigators have also gathered some evidence indicating that the rifle used in the attack was originally purchased by the gunman’s father. But the investigation remains in its early stages, the person said.

Comperatore was an avid supporter of the former president and was at the rally with his family, Shapiro said. He died shielding his family from the bullets.

Two victims were taken to Allegheny General Hospital, a trauma center about 30 miles away in Pittsburgh, and both were in critical condition as of late Saturday, according to hospital spokesperson Dan Laurent.

In an interview with Fox News, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.) said his nephew suffered a nonserious injury at the rally. “He was grazed in the neck, a bullet crossed his neck, cut his neck, and he was bleeding,” he said.

Trump was speaking about immigration policy at the Butler Farm Show grounds, about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh, when the shots started.

The large grounds include a lake, an indoor exhibition space and an airstrip, according to its website. Though President Biden won the crucial swing state in 2020, Trump prevailed in Butler County, with more than 65 percent of the vote.

Attendees described feeling frozen in disbelief after hearing gunshots. “My heart stopped when he went down,” said Erin Autenreith. “I really didn’t know if he was ever going to stand up again.”

Republicans and Democrats, including Biden and top Cabinet members, denounced the violence.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called the shooting “despicable,” and several Republicans lauded the former president. “We all know President Trump is stronger than his enemies,” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) said on X, sharing a photo of a bloodied Trump raising his fist after the shooting. “Today he showed it.”

Some industry leaders like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman formally endorsed Trump in the aftermath of the shooting.

In a social media post Sunday morning, Trump thanked supporters for their thoughts and prayers, saying “it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”

“Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed,” Trump posted on his social media platform.

He added: “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united.”

The attack happened two days before the start of the Republican National Convention, to be held Monday through Thursday in Milwaukee, where Trump is set to be selected as the Republican presidential nominee.

Soon after news of the shooting emerged, top allies of Trump accused Biden and his supporters of using rhetoric that spurred the attack.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who is being touted as a possible running mate for Trump, blamed Biden on X.

“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance wrote. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.” Others including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Mike Collins (R-Ga.) expressed similar sentiments, which quickly percolated.

Ron Kaufman, a Republican National Committee delegate from Massachusetts, said the mood in Milwaukee ahead of the convention was one of “shock and disbelief.”

“There’s a feeling,” Kaufman wrote in a text message, “that the Democrats’ constant pounding on President Trump as ‘a threat to democracy’ leads to this.’”

Trump has himself often used inflammatory language, calling his political enemies “vermin” and warning of a “bloodbath” if he does not win in November.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told Americans to “focus on the tragedy of what happened here” and avoid making it about politics.

“And we just have to turn down … the temperature on this,” Fetterman said Sunday morning on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Dave McCormick, a Republican running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, was at the rally Saturday. He told The Post that the “overcharged rhetoric” on both sides of the aisle contributed to the attack, and he noted a “dehumanizing” political environment.

“Is the price of being in public office the threat of violence against you?” he said. “That doesn’t seem reasonable. It’s a scary moment.”

Devlin Barrett, Colby Itkowitz, Michael Scherer and Brittany Shammas contributed to this report.