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Trump shooter used 'AR-style' rifle that was legally purchased: FBI

Kenneth Niemeyer   

Trump shooter used 'AR-style' rifle that was legally purchased: FBI
  • The shooting suspect who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally used an "AR-style" rifle, the FBI says.
  • Police identified the shooter as a 20-year-old male from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

The would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday used an "AR-style" rifle that was purchased legally, the FBI believes.

The FBI, on early Sunday morning, confirmed the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek, director of the agency's Pittsburgh field office, said in a news conference Sunday afternoon that the FBI recovered an "AR-style 556 rifle which was purchased legally."

"We located the weapon at the scene, located immediately adjacent to the shooter," Rojek said.

The FBI said it believes Crooks's father legally purchased the weapon used in the shooting.

The FBI's primary focus is determining Crooks's motive and movement leading up to the shooting.

Rojek told reporters that authorities have no indication that Crooks suffered from mental health issues.

"At present, we have not identified an ideology associated with the subject, but I want to remind everyone that we're still very early in this investigation," Rojek told reporters. "We are working hard to determine the sequence of events related to the subject and his movements in the hours, days, and weeks prior to the shooting."



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