Shooting victim Corey Comperatore mourned; US senators confronted Cheatle at RNC
FREEPORT, Pa. ? Friends and family of Corey Comperatore gathered Thursday at Laube Hall in Freeport, a small town on the Allegheny River, to pay their respects to the volunteer firefighter and father of two who was killed in last weekend's attack on former President Donald Trump.
Members of regional fire departments and their emergency medical services counterparts also joined the public visitation, held under heightened security. Freeport police and Pennsylvania state law enforcement were present, including at least two snipers positioned atop a nearby building and on Laube Hall.
Justin Strycharz, 40, said he drove five hours from Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, to attend the visitation. He described the scene inside the hall as "quiet and respectful."
A registered Independent, Strycharz voted for Gary Johnson in 2016 and Andrew Yang in 2020 and said the Saturday shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, has solidified his support for the Republican presidential nominee.
Politics, though, were not atop of his mind Thursday.
"This is a tragedy that shouldn’t have happened," Strycharz said.
Trump was speaking before throngs of supporters at the Butler Farm Show grounds Saturday when a gunman opened fire from the roof of a nearby building. Trump, his face bloodied, was hustled off the stage by Secret Service personnel. Comperatore, 50, shielded his family from the gunfire and was killed. Two other rallygoers were critically wounded before a sniper fatally shot the gunman.
Funeral services for Comperatore will be held Friday at his longtime Butler County church.
Anatomy of a tragedy: Graphics, maps show how the attack played out
DHS Office of Inspector General announces third probe into Secret Service
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General announced Thursday that it's opening a third review of the Secret Service's planning and implementation activities for protective operations.
"Our objective is to determine the extent to which the Secret Service plans and implements protective activities to ensure the safety and security of designated protectees," the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General said in a statement.
The department had already launched two other probes this week into the Secret Service's security process for last weekend's rally and its sniper team.
Report: Gunman visited Pennsylvania rally site before shooting
New details have emerged about last weekend's assassination attempt and the gunman's actions leading up to the attack.
Law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS News and ABC News that the suspect had climbed onto an air conditioning unit that was accessible from the ground and then gained access to the roof of the neighboring building, where he launched his attack.
Sources also told ABC News that the gunman had visited the site of the campaign rally before the shooting. Citing another source familiar with the investigation, the television network reported that an individual used an encrypted email address and cell phone number to sign up to attend the rally under the name Thomas Matthew Crook one week before the shooting.
Investigators are recreating the suspect's movements on the day of the shooting and in the months prior to the attack, according to CBS News.
New York Times: Crooks searched for 'major depressive disorder'
A review of gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks’ phone by the Federal Bureau of Investigation found he had searched for images of both President Joe Biden and Trump, as well as other famous figures, in the days before the shooting, the New York Times reported, citing U.S. lawmakers briefed on the law enforcement investigation.
Other search subjects included the FBI director, Christopher Wray; Attorney General Merrick Garland; and a member of the British royal family, according to two officials who spoke to the Times on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter publicly.
Fox News said investigators reviewing Crooks' laptop also found searches for Trump, Biden, when the Democratic National Convention was taking place and the July 13 Trump rally.
Crooks also looked up "major depressive disorder" on his phone, the Times said.
Was online gaming Steam account fake?
Investigators now believe an online gaming account in the name of the man who shot at Trump over the weekend is fake, CNN is reporting, citing a US official briefed on the matter.
Multiple media outlets including CNN, Fox News, and the Daily Mail reported that Secret Service and FBI officials told U.S. senators during a briefing Wednesday that Crooks posted on Steam the message: "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." But the official told CNN the FBI has revised that assessment.
Steam is a popular platform where millions of gamers communicate and gain access to 30,000 games, according to the website. The gaming platform Discord has said Crooks was a user, but the company said it found no evidence Crooks used the platform to "plan this incident, promote violence or discuss his political views.”
Iran denies assassination plot claim: US lawmakers slam Secret Service response
ABC News: Trump met with embattled head of Secret Service
Trump met Tuesday in Milwaukee with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, ABC News reported Thursday, saying the topic of their discussion was unclear.
Cheatle has been under intense pressure to resign from Republican lawmakers after agents protecting Trump failed to prevent an attempt on his life at a rally Saturday. A gunman shooting from the roof of a nearby building injured the former president and two supporters and killed a third one before a sniper gunned him down.
Some senators were fuming Wednesday after learning in a briefing with the FBI and Secret Service that suspicious activity was reported from around that building 20 minutes before the shooting, but the would-be assassin wasn't stopped.
Cheatle hounded at GOP convention
A group of U.S. senators confronted and then chased Cheatle at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday, demanding answers about the shooting, according to a video posted on social media by Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
The four-minute-long clip shows a handful of GOP senators peppering Cheatle with questions about gaps in security at Trump’s rally in Butler, including one moment when Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso asks: "Why would anyone allow the president to go onstage when you know you’ve got a potential threat?"
Cheatle declined to answer any questions, which came in the hospitality suite for RNC security partners. She told the senators she was "happy to answer questions," but would "do it in an appropriate format."
"Resignation or full explanation to us right now," Barrasso can be heard telling Cheatle in the video. Read more here.
? Karissa Waddick and Savannah Kuchar
Senators chase Secret Service director: Demand answers on Trump shooting
Social media reactions to shooting bring consequences
An instructor at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, was put on unpaid leave over what university officials said was an "offensive and unacceptable social media post." Hours later, John James was no longer employed there, the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
Plenty of people took to social media to make jokes and comments about the shooting, and they're reaping the consequences. A restaurant worker, a fire chief and a political aide are among those who also lost their jobs or resigned after outrage over their posts, according to statements by their employers and news reports. Read more here.
"No matter how private your life is, everybody has an audience," said Karen North, a professor of digital social media at USC and a psychologist. "And there’s always an audience for people misbehaving."
? Jeanine Santucci
People across the nation have lost jobs after posts about Trump shooting
Family of shooting survivor thanks first responders
Wounded rallygoers James Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57, have been upgraded to serious condition, Allegheny General Hospital said Wednesday. Dutch's family issued a statement thanking the local community and "countless others across the country and world" for the outpouring of support, prayers and well-wishes for the 57-year-old former Marine.
"David and our entire family are especially grateful to all the first responders and medical professionals who saved his life, including the Life Flight and trauma surgical teams at AGH," the statement says. "As we focus on David’s recovery, we also offer our deepest condolences and prayers for the other victims of this tragic event and their families.
Secret Service head 'needs to go': Senators call for ouster after Trump attack briefing
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump shooting updates: People remember Corey Comperatore
