FBI says it ‘successfully gained access’ to suspected shooter’s phone

The FBI has “successfully gained access” to the phone of the man suspected of shooting former President Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, the agency said Monday.

Access to the phone could potentially provide information about a motive as to why suspected gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed a building adjacent to where Trump was giving a speech in Butler, Pa., on Saturday and opened fire on the former president.

A bullet grazed Trump’s ear, and he was not seriously injured. Secret Service snipers shot and killed Crooks at the scene. A man in the crowd was also killed in the gunfire, and two other attendees were critically injured, according to the Secret Service. 

The FBI also said Monday that the agency had completed a search of Crooks’s vehicle and home. In an update to The Associated Press on Sunday, the FBI said his vehicle and home contained some bomb-making materials.

The shooting, which is being investigated as an attempted assassination, has raised concerns with the Secret Service security protocols among members of Congress. 

“Bottom line is that this is massive negligence, to the point of me speculating on what was intentional and what wasn’t,” Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) said Sunday.

The suspected gunman fired with an AR-style rifle from an “elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the Secret Service said, raising questions over how the suspect was able to get close enough to the former president. The roof, where the gunman was reportedly positioned, was less than 150 meters from where the former president was speaking, the AP noted.

President Biden ordered a review of security protocols at the Saturday rally.

Both Biden and Trump shared messages of unity after the shooting.

“God alone prevented the unthinkable from happening,” Trump said.

“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. “I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”

The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee began Monday as scheduled, where Trump announced that Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) will be his running mate.