FBI gains access to alleged Trump rally gunman’s phone but still seeks a motive for attack

• By Cindi Lash/WESA

The FBI on Monday said it had gained access to the cellphone of the Bethel Park man who allegedly fired shots at former President Donald Trump during a rally Saturday, but they offered no further information about the man’s motive.

In a statement, the FBI said technical specialists at its laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, are analyzing electronic devices that belonged to Thomas Matthew Crooks to learn more about him and his actions before Saturday, when Secret Service agents shot and killed him at the rally in Butler County. Investigators also have concluded their search of Crooks’ car and home in the suburban South Hills and interviewed more than 100 law enforcement officers and other witnesses who attended the rally, the FBI said.

In addition to conducting more interviews, the agency is reviewing hundreds of photos, cell phone videos and other tips submitted by people who attended the presidential campaign rally for Trump at the Butler County Farm Show Grounds. It encouraged others with similar information to submit it online or by phone to FBI investigators.

Investigators have named Crooks, 20, as the gunman who they say attempted to assassinate Trump from atop a building outside the Farm Show grounds, using his father’s assault rifle, in what they have termed a domestic terror incident.

Law enforcement officers returned fire, and the U.S. Secret Service later said its agents killed the gunman, but not before he shot and killed a rally-goer and critically wounded two other men, they said. Trump was visibly bloodied in the attack and later said he’d been shot in the ear.

Killed in the outbreak of gunfire was Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, who on Sunday was eulogized by Gov. Josh Shapiro as a “hero” who shielded his family with his body to protect them at the rally.

The father of two daughters, Comperatore was a project and tooling engineer at JSP International in Butler and a former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department. Comperatore’s funeral service will be private, but public visitation has been scheduled for 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Laube Hal in Freeport.

Wounded in the attack were David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township. Both were taken in critical condition to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where they remain.

In the U.S. Secret Service’s first detailed statement since the rally shooting, its director on Monday said the agency has “reviewed and strengthened” its security plan for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in the wake of that attack.

Director Kimberly Cheatle said she is “confident in the security plan” for the convention, which began Monday. But the Secret Service has made changes to Trump’s security detail since the Butler rally “to ensure his continued protection for the convention and the rest of the campaign,” she said.

Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service and its performance have been scrutinized since the rally because the gunman was able to reach a rooftop vantage point within sight and shooting distance of the rally stage.

President Joe Biden has ordered an independent investigation of the attempted assassination. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said he has “full confidence” in the Secret Service’s leadership, but he conceded that the gunman never should have reached that deadly position.

In response, Cheatle said the Secret Service is working with federal, state and local agencies to assess what happened at the rally and how to prevent similar incidents.

“We understand the importance of the independent review announced by President Biden yesterday and will participate fully,” she said. “We will also work with the appropriate Congressional committees on any oversight action.

“The Secret Service is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of protecting the current and former leaders of our democracy,” she added. “It is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously, and I am committed to fulfilling that mission.”

At least a dozen police officers and sheriff’s deputies were assisting the Secret Service and Pennsylvania State Police with security at the rally.

The Associated Press reported that several rallygoers reported to local officers that Crooks was acting suspiciously and pacing near the magnetometers used to detect metal as part of the security process, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the investigation.

It was a Butler Township police officer who encountered the gunman on the roof before the shooting while looking for the suspicious person when another officer hoisted him up so he could grab the edge of the roof, local officials said.

The officer dropped back down to safety when the gunman turned and pointed his rifle at him, according to Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe.

Slupe, who was inside the rally venue when the shooting erupted and did not witness the encounter, said the officer could not have wielded his own gun under the circumstances.

“I think all law enforcement on site did everything that they could, especially the local law enforcement,” Slupe told The Associated Press on Monday. “I hope they’re not made a scapegoat, because they did their job to the best of their abilities.”

Butler Township Manager Tom Knights said the officer lost his grip and was not retreating when he fell 8 feet to the ground.

“He was literally dangling from the edge of a building and took the defensive position he needed to at that time. He couldn’t hold himself up,” Knights said.

The officer, who has 10 years of experience in law enforcement, severely injured an ankle in the fall and was in a walking boot, Knights said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.