After attack on Trump, much has emerged, and but many questions remain. Here's a timeline of what happened.

David Artavia
Donald Trump
Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, minutes before a gunman opened fire. (Evan Vucci/AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

In the days since a shooter opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania, a swirling amount of information has emerged.

The attack injured Trump and killed Corey Comperatore, 50, while injuring two others: David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, both of whom are now in stable condition. There is also an ongoing FBI investigation and public demands for more information about the security procedures that allowed a shooter to get so close to the former president.

Here’s a breakdown of the events and how they unfolded.

  • Trump took the stage just after 6 p.m. ET at a rally near Butler, Pa., when several gunshots rang out. Images show him grabbing his right ear and neck area before dropping to the ground.

  • Secret Service and law enforcement agents stormed the stage to shield him as additional gunfire was heard. They were seen escorting him offstage to his motorcade. Before departing at 6:14 p.m., he gave a fist pump to the crowd, with blood streaming down his ear and face. His campaign later told the press that he was “fine” and sustained only minor injuries.

  • The event prompted an active investigation by the FBI.

Trump is surrounded by four Secret Service agents as they escort him off the stage.
Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is escorted off the stage. (Evan Vucci/AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

  • Political leaders around the world condemned the attack, including former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush and Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence.

  • The FBI confirmed that one attendee had been killed, while two others were in critical condition.

  • A male shooter was confirmed dead on a rooftop over 100 yards from where Trump was speaking. The shooter carried no identification, and an AR-style rifle was recovered at the scene.

  • The FBI identified the gunman later in the evening as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa.

  • President Biden spoke with Trump that evening in a conversation that was reportedly “short and respectful,” according to NBC News.

  • House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged that the House of Representatives would conduct a full investigation into the shooting.

  • At 8:42 p.m. ET, Trump took to Truth Social to say that he that he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.” He described hearing “a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

  • Crooks had no criminal record, and while the FBI has not determined a motive, it is investigating the attack as an attempted assassination.

  • The FBI searched Crooks’s vehicle and home in the middle of the night, into the early morning hours. The agency said: “Suspicious devices found at both locations have been rendered safe by bomb technicians and are being evaluated at the FBI Laboratory.”

  • Several attendees claimed to have seen the gunman on the roof minutes before he opened fire. Some told reporters they flagged him to law enforcement at the time. [The Telegraph]

  • One ​local law enforcement officer reportedly attempted to confront the gunman before retreat​i​ng down the ladder. [Associated Press]

  • Johnson said that Republican lawmakers would hold hearings with officials from the Secret Service, FBI and Department of Homeland Security over the incident. [Reuters]

  • The names of the victims were released: Corey Comperatore, 50, had died from his wounds. Two others — David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were hospitalized and are now in stable condition.

  • President Biden ordered an independent review of the security placed at the rally and a security review of the Republican National Convention.

  • Political leaders from both sides of the aisle — including New York Reps. Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler, Kentucky Rep. James Comer and Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego — demanded answers from the Secret Service.

  • In an address to the nation, Biden called for unity and warned people to not make assumptions about the gunman’s motives or affiliations.

  • The FBI announced it was investigating the attack as a possible domestic terrorism incident.

A member of the Trump campaign and the crowd moments after shots were fired.
A member of the Trump campaign and the crowd moments after shots were fired. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images)

  • Former first lady Melania Trump denounced Crooks as a “monster” in a statement on X.

  • Authorities said they believe the gun Crooks used was purchased legally by his father in 2013. [Associated Press]

  • Guns will be banned in the “hard zone” of the RNC, which consists of the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee and the area immediately around it, but allowed in the “soft zone” within the security perimeter but outside the credentialed-only area. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

  • Biden gave his second address of the day, from the Oval Office, and called on Americans to “lower the temperature” of political discourse, while stressing, “We cannot allow this violence to be normalized.”

  • Trump discussed why he raised his fist after being shot at: "I knew that history would judge this and I knew I had to let them know we are OK.” [Associated Press]

  • Despite his wounds, Trump traveled to Milwaukee as planned for the Republican National Convention.

  • Kimberly Cheatle, director of the Secret Service, said the agency will participate fully in an independent review of the incident.

  • Cheatle also confirmed that the Secret Service reviewed and strengthened its safety measures ahead of the RNC.

  • Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas criticized security measures at Saturday’s rally, calling the incident a failure of security and saying the shooter shouldn’t have had a direct line of sight on Trump in the first place.

  • The FBI said that it is investigating Crooks’s phone for more details about a potential motive, adding that the agency has offered assistance to the victims’ families.

  • Biden was asked by NBC News if he thought the shooting had changed the trajectory of the presidential race: "I don't know, and you don't know either," he said.

  • Donald Trump's son Eric Trump said in an interview at the RNC with Fox News that he plans to attend the funeral of shooting victim Corey Comperatore.

  • Cheatle said the shooting was "unacceptable" in an interview with ABC News but also made clear that she would not resign.

  • The House Oversight Committee announced it will hold a hearing on Secret Service protection surrounding the shooting, set for Monday, July 22. Cheatle will deliver key testimony. It also formally requested documents from the Secret Service.

  • Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a press conference that its goal for an independent review into the incident is to find out what happened "before, during and after the shooting" on July 13.

  • When asked by ABC News if the shooting had changed him, Trump said, "I don’t like to think about that, but, yes, I think [it] has an impact."

  • The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security share concerns about potential "follow-up or retaliatory acts of violence" by extremists in response to the shooting. [Politico]

  • Crooks purchased 50 rounds of ammunition prior to going to the rally at a gun shop in Bethel Park, Pa., according to a FBI and DHS bulletin obtained by ABC News.

  • The FBI announced that it is continuing to seek information from people who attended the rally on July 13.

  • The Secret Service sniper who neutralized the gunman on July 13 fired one round. The sniper was located on the roof behind Trump and was assisted by a spotter, per CBS News.

  • Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green requested that Secretary Mayorkas, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify before the committee on July 23.

  • A U.S. national security official reportedly told CNN that the Secret Service received intelligence about a possible plot by Iran to assassinate President Trump. The accusation was denied by an Iran spokesperson in a statement to the outlet. There is no indication that Saturday's shooting was related to this alleged plot.

  • After refusing a call from President Biden, Helen Comperatore, the widow of shooting victim Corey Comperatore, accepted a call from Donald Trump. In a social media post shared with the New York Times, Helen Comperatore reportedly wrote that Trump was “very kind” in their conversation.

  • The Secret Service and local law enforcement offered different accounts of where officers were positioned at Trump’s rally on July 13. On Monday, the agency’s director Kimberly Cheatle told ABC News that local police officers were inside the one-story building scaled by the gunman before he opened fire, but law enforcement told the New York Times that wasn’t the case, and that they were in an adjacent building. Both parties agreed that no one was on the roof of any of the warehouse buildings in the area.

  • The Butler County, Pa., district attorney told the Washington Post that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle seems to be "passing the blame" to local police for security failures. The agency said previously that "any news suggesting the Secret Service is blaming local law enforcement for Saturday's incident is simply not true.”

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