Updated Jul 26, 2024 - Politics & Policy

FBI: Trump was indeed struck by bullet from gunman's rifle

Sareen Habeshian

former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter is dead after injuring former U.S. President Donald Trump, killing one audience member and injuring another in the shooting. (P — Former President Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Former President Trump was indeed struck by a bullet from the rifle of the 20-year-old gunman who attempted to assassinate him, the FBI confirmed to Axios Friday.

Why it matters: FBI Director Christopher Wray had said earlier this week that there was "some question about whether or not it's a bullet or shrapnel that ... hit his ear."

What they're saying: "What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject's rifle," the FBI said in a statement Friday.

Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Catch up quick: Wray confirmed before the House Judiciary Committee this week that the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, flew a drone near the event site hours before the shooting and possessed multiple explosive devices.

Crooks was on top of one of the roofs of a complex of warehouses outside the event's security perimeter before firing multiple shots toward Trump, per the FBI.
A Secret Service sniper then shot and killed Crooks after the gunman had fired at least eight shots, killing one person and injuring the former president and two others, authorities said.

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Editor's note: This story has been updated with the latest.

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FBI: Trump was indeed struck by bullet from gunman's rifle

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