What to know about Trump assassination attempt and the investigation into the shooting

The article discusses an attempted assassination at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A shooter armed with an AR-style rifle managed to get close to the former President Trump and fired shots from an elevated position outside the rally venue, injuring Trump and killing a Secret Service personnel. The shooter, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old nursing-home employee from suburban Pittsburgh, attempted to shoot Trump but was unsuccessful.

The incident has raised concerns about political violence and security measures at political events. President Biden called for rejecting political violence in a national address following the incident. The article also highlights the victims of the shooting and the ongoing investigation into the motive behind the attempted assassination.

Attempted Assassination Attempts

Until recently, presidential assassination attempts have only been performed on active presidents. Over the weekend that changed, former U.S. president Donald Trump was shot in the ear at a campaign rally. Here are a list of failed assassination attempts on past U.S. Presidents:

• Theodore Roosevelt: Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, survived an assassination attempt on October 14, 1912, while campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Despite being shot in the chest, Roosevelt continued with his speech before seeking medical attention.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on February 15, 1933, in Miami, Florida. The shooter, Giuseppe Zangara, missed Roosevelt but managed to hit several others in the crowd.
• Harry S. Truman: Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, faced an assassination attempt on November 1, 1950, when two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to storm Blair House in Washington, D.C., where Truman was staying. A shootout ensued, resulting in the death of one of the assailants.
• Gerald Ford: Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, survived two separate assassination attempts in September 1975. Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme and Sara Jane Moore were the assailants in these incidents.
• Ronald Reagan: Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, was shot by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981, outside a hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan recovered after undergoing surgery to remove the bullet from his lung.

Presidential Assassination History

Over the centuries of the United States being a democratic republic, several individual citizens of our nation have attempted, and sometimes succeeded at assassinating the highest-ranking official in the country. Overall, there have only been 4 successful attempts:

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was assassinated on April 14, 1865, by John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer. The assassination took place at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., while Lincoln was watching a play. Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head and then fled the scene, leading to a nationwide manhunt.

James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, was assassinated on July 2, 1881, by Charles J. Guiteau. Guiteau was a disgruntled office seeker who believed he deserved a government position. He shot Garfield twice at a train station in Washington, D.C., leading to Garfield's death two months later due to complications from his injuries.

William McKinley

William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, was assassinated on September 6, 1901, by Leon Czolgosz. Czolgosz was an anarchist who shot McKinley twice at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley died eight days later from his wounds, making him the third U.S. President to be assassinated.

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine with communist sympathies, was charged with the assassination. Oswald fired shots from a nearby building, hitting Kennedy in the head and neck while he was riding in a motorcade. Kennedy died shortly after the attack, sparking numerous conspiracy theories surrounding his death that last through today.