FBI Concludes Suspect Acted Alone in Trump Rally Shooting; No Motive Found

The FBI has closed its probe into the July 2024 shooting at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, concluding that 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks acted alone and that no clear motive was identified. FBI Director Kash Patel said President Trump was notified as a victim and was "satisfied" with the outcome. The attack killed one attendee and grazed the president's ear, and it prompted criticism of Secret Service preparedness. The FBI said it will pursue any credible new leads.

09:32 AM, 11/23/2025Security

The FBI has closed its investigation into the July 2024 shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, concluding that the deceased suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, acted alone and that investigators found no clear motive.

Investigation findings

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau informed former President Donald Trump of the findings "as a victim of this case," and that Trump was "satisfied with the results and where we left it." Patel described the inquiry as a "Day One priority" for the FBI.

"We have reviewed this case over and over — looked into every nugget," FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News Digital. "We have spoken to the families, the president — there is no cover-up here. There is no motive for it, there is no reason for it."

Authorities identified Thomas Matthew Crooks after Secret Service agents shot and killed him on a rooftop near the rally site in July 2024. One attendee, Corey Comperatore, died of a gunshot wound, and a bullet grazed the then-candidate's ear.

Questions about security and other responses

The U.S. Secret Service drew criticism for its handling of security that day. Helen Comperatore, the widow of the slain attendee, publicly blamed the agency, saying she felt attendees were left vulnerable.

"We were all sitting ducks that day. Our blood is all over their hands. I am angry. I lost the love of my life," Helen Comperatore said in July.

Video from the event shows agents quickly removing the then-candidate from the stage amid chaos; the candidate paused, raised his fist and shouted, "Fight, fight, fight," before being led away. Later reporting quoted him describing a grazing injury to his ear.

In the months after the attack, the Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog reported chronic understaffing in the Secret Service countersniper unit, raising questions about readiness and resourcing.

Ongoing openness to new leads

While the FBI's conclusion is that Crooks acted alone, officials said the bureau will reopen or continue inquiries if credible new leads emerge. The investigation and some public debate also focused on the suspect's digital footprint, prompting exchanges between critics of intelligence agencies and the FBI about what the agency had or had not said publicly.

The bureau and senior officials emphasized that the findings reflect the evidence reviewed to date and reiterated a willingness to pursue new information that could alter the investigative picture.