FBI says it now has access to suspected Trump shooter’s phone, still hunting for motive

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The FBI announced on Monday that it now has access to the suspected shooter’s phone, which could reveal a motive for opening fire on former President Donald Trump over the weekend.

A gunman attempted to kill the former president during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon, which killed one attendee, and wounded three others including Trump. The suspected shooter was also killed on the scene, and has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Law enforcement officials have not been able to identify a possible motive for the shooting so far, despite searching the suspect’s vehicle, phone, computer, home, and search history. Investigators have also conducted “nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement personnel, event attendees, and other witnesses,” per CNN.

Details on what law enforcement officials did find on Crooks’ phone and computer have not been disclosed.

Crooks’ parents have said that their son did not have a lot of friends, but also did not appear to have any specific political leaning. The lack of answers on a motive has spurred investigations from Congress. Despite the lack of a clear political motive, the case is still being investigated as an assassination attempt.

The update comes as the Pentagon confirmed that Crooks has no ties to the United States military, and that the Pentagon will not be shifting its force posture in the wake of the shooting. But 1,700 National Guardsmen and women, plus some active duty personnel, will be helping with the Republican convention through Friday. Those numbers were arranged before the shooting.

“We’ve confirmed with each of the military service branches that there is no military service affiliation for the suspect with that name or date of birth in any branch active or reserve component in their respective databases,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters in a press briefing.