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Shooting at Trump rally leaves attendee dead, violence condemned by Colorado politicians

Allie Seibel, Editor in Chief

July 14, 2024

Collegian | Trin Bonner

Editor’s Note: This brief is part of The Collegian’s limited national political news coverage that pertains to the 2024 Presidential Election. The goal of this coverage is to inform our local community to the political events happening at the national scale.

A shooting at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, resulted in former President Donald Trump sustaining injuries and left one attendee dead, The Associated Press confirmed.

Loud bangs were reported throughout the crowd before Trump ducked under a podium and was later whisked away by Secret Service guards, blood visible on his face, according to AP.

Trump’s campaign team confirmed that he sustained no serious injuries and was moved to safety. One attendee was killed in the incident and two others sustained critical injuries, the AP reported with confirmation from the Butler County district attorney.

The shooter, whose identity remains unknown, was killed by the Secret Service counterassault team. As a former president, Trump receives Secret Service protection for life, and as a major party nomination for president, additional security is provided.

Prominent members of both the Republican and Democratic Parties have taken to social media to condemn political violence, including President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence.

At 6:42 p.m., Trump posted a statement that a bullet hit his ear, which was what alerted him to the shooting.

The Secret Service also confirmed in a statement that the shots were fired from above, outside of the usual ring of coverage for the event.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper all condemned the violence on X, formerly known as Twitter, following the event.

The AP confirmed that the incident is being investigated as an assassination attempt. On July 14, the AP confirmed that the victim was Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief. The AP also reported that the suspect was Thomas Matthew Crooke, a 20-year-old. Bomb-making materials were also found in his car and at his residence.

This is a breaking news story. Updates will be provided as available.

Reach Allie Seibel at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @allie_seibel_.

About the Contributors

Allie Seibel, Editor in Chief

Returning for her second year as editor-in-chief, Allie Seibel could not be more proud of the experience The Collegian has given her over her tenure at Colorado State University thus far. Seibel is a junior in the Honors program and on the prelaw track, studying journalism and media communication with minors in legal studies and business administration. She is also an Honors ambassador and an Honors peer mentor as well as a satellite imagery writer for the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at CSU and a member of the Center for Public Deliberation. Seibel started at The Collegian the summer before her first semester of college, getting involved through her orientation session and beginning her first year as news editor. She got the position before ever setting foot on campus as a student, which was one of the most formative experiences of her collegiate journalism career. She then began her current role her sophomore year, becoming the youngest editor-in-chief in Collegian history. Under Seibel's leadership, The Collegian was awarded an all-around best in show fifth place award at the College Media Association's national convention. Seibel is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and spends her free time reading, cooking, cross-stitching, paddleboarding and taking photos. She is a huge traveler and seizes any opportunity she can to see the world. As she begins her second year at the helm of The Collegian, Seibel is excited to continue the immense legacy of the newspaper both in print and online by expanding investigative coverage and pushing readers to discover more about their surroundings on campus. She looks forward to maintaining The Collegian's reputation as a trustworthy news source both on campus and in the community.

Trin Bonner, Illustration Director

Trin Bonner is the illustration editor for The Collegian newspaper. This will be her fourth year in the position, and she loves being a part of the creative and amazing design team of The Collegian. As the illustration editor, Bonner provides creative insight and ideas that bring the newspaper the best graphics and illustrations possible. She loves working with artists to develop fun and unique weekly illustrations for readers. She enjoys helping the illustrators on her desk explore and expand their artistic abilities as well as challenge their skills with every edition. Bonner is a senior studying graphic design and electronic art and is also a community coordinator for Aggie Village Apartments on Colorado State University's campus. She finds immense joy in illustration and comic creation. She hopes to explore more in the realm of graphic design and video game design as she approaches the end of her undergraduate experience. Trin spends her free time crocheting, doing beadwork and playing guitar when she’s not working on illustrations or acting as community coordinator, though she spends much of her free time sketching and brainstorming her next webcomic. Bonner finds that making people laugh and smile through her art is incredibly fulfilling and is excited to continue to bring her love for illustration and art to The Collegian.

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