Northeast
Trump assassination attempt: FBI says gunman climbed HVAC, traversed rooftops to shooting perch
The FBI on Monday morning told reporters that would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks accessed the roof of a building near former President Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by climbing up HVAC equipment and piping.
Crooks then traversed multiple rooftops before he found his shooting position on top of a building owned by American Glass Research (AGR), located near the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds about 150 yards from where the former president spoke at his rally.
The FBI hosted a press conference call with reporters more than two weeks after 20-year-old Crooks fired at Trump with a DPMS AR-15-style firearm with a collapsable stock during the rally in an assassination attempt that nicked the president’s ear but left one man dead and two others hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
While investigators determined that Crooks did purchase a ladder just hours prior to the assassination attempt, he left it at his residence in Bethel Park and did not use the ladder at the rally later on.
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW GUNMAN EVADED SECURITY
Buildings that are adjacent to the Butler Farm Show, site of a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are seen Monday, July 15, 2024, in Butler, Pa. Thomas Crooks fired from the roof of the building complex and wounded Trump on July 13 during an assassination attempt. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge at the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said the agency has examined more than 2,100 tips related to the assassination attempt since July 13.
Leading up to the shooting, Crooks apparently conducted internet searches for current and former presidents.
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The Trump campaign announced the Butler rally on July 3, and three days later, Crooks signed up for the event. That same day — July 6 — he researched how far Lee Henry Oswald was from the late President John F. Kennedy when Oswald assassinated the former president in 1963. On July 7, he traveled to the rally site and spent approximately 20 minutes in the area, Rojek said.
Pictures of Thomas Mathew Crooks taken by a sniper. (Sen. Ron Johnson’s Office)
Crooks’ interest in firearms began around 2023, when he began taking shooting lessons. He made 25 online firearms purchases using an alias in the spring of 2023.
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“Throughout the first half of 2024, a subject made six chemical precursor related purchases online of materials used to create the explosive devices recovered in the subject’s vehicle and home. And again for those purchases, he used aliases,” Rojek said.
Blood is seen in the stands after guns were fired at Republican candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. The suspected shooter who wounded Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally is dead, US media reported Saturday, along with one bystander. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
Crook’s father legally purchased the AR-15-style rifle Crooks used at the rally, and he legally transferred it to his son. He also legally purchased 50 rounds of ammunition from a local gun store on the morning of the rally, according to the FBI.
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On the day of the rally, Crooks parked his vehicle and flew a drone between about 3:50 p.m. and 4 p.m. about 200 yards from where the former president would be speaking on July 13. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified during a July 17 congressional hearing that Crooks had been at the rally site for about 70 minutes the morning of the assassination attempt.
Law enforcement officers move during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
It is still unclear how Crooks evaded security even after being noticed by law enforcement more than an hour before shots rang out, but the FBI said more than 300 agents and staff are working “round the clock” to gather facts and put together a clearer timeline of Crooks’ actions.
Investigators located eight rounds on the roof where Crooks fired from, the agency said during the call.
An undated image of Thomas Matthew Crooks. (Handout via AFP)
Law enforcement first reported seeing a suspicious person near the rally site around 5:10 p.m. on July 13 — an hour and one minute before Crooks began shooting. Local law enforcement notified command about the suspicious person and received confirmation that the Secret Service was aware of his presence.
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Over the next hour, law enforcement identified a building of interest, and snipers took photos of Crooks and his bicycle left near the rally grounds. Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who was briefed on the assassination attempt, previously told Fox News Digital that a sniper “had eyes on” the suspicious person about 20 minutes before Crooks began firing.
FBI agents canvas Thomas Matthew Crooks’ neighborhood in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania on Monday, July 15, 2024. Crooks was killed on July 13 after attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital )
Trump took the podium around 6 p.m. — an hour after he was scheduled to speak. Eleven minutes later, Crooks fired multiple rounds, killing 50-year-old Corey Comperatore and seriously wounding 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver. Dutch was hospitalized and has since been released, while Copenhaver remains hospitalized.
FBI officials are still working to determine Crooks’ motive behind the assassination attempt that rocked Butler and neighboring townships. They are also still working to determine whether Crooks planned with any coconspirators, though the agency clarified on Monday that there are no signs to indicate there were others involved.
“His primary social circle appears to be limited to his immediate family, as we believe he had few friends and acquaintances throughout his life.”
The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit is also working to build out a more comprehensive profile for Crooks.
The Butler Farm Show, site of a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, is seen Monday July 15, 2024 in Butler, Pa. Trump was wounded on July 13 during an assassination attempt while speaking at the rally. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
“Investigators have interviewed dozens of people who knew or interacted with the subject. This included family members, coworkers, former teachers, classmates, and others,” Rojek said. “We also consulted with specialists assigned to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit to offer their expertise as we work to develop a profile of the subject. We have learned the subject was highly intelligent, attended college and maintained steady employment.”
Rojek later on described Crooks as a “loner, as far as his association or any other activities related to his mental state.”
Trump is expected to return to Butler at some point for another rally, but he has not released any details on when that will be.
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Maine
ICE arrests operator of midcoast Maine market
FRIENDSHIP, Maine — A federal judge has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement not to relocate a Friendship man who ICE agents arrested Saturday.
Dhavalkumar Kalidas Patel was seized by four ICE agents at Wallace’s Market, which Patel and his wife operate on Harbor Road in Friendship.
His wife said the agents did not say why he was being taken away in handcuffs.
Attorney Audrey Richardson of Greater Boston Legal Services filed a motion for habeas corpus, meaning he is to be brought to a court in person.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts issued an emergency order hours after Patel was seized that prohibits him from being moved elsewhere.
“To provide a fair opportunity for the judge who will be randomly assigned to this case to review the merits of the petition and to rule on any contested issues of jurisdiction, unless otherwise ordered by the assigned judge, respondents will not remove the petitioner from the jurisdiction of the United States or transfer petitioner to a judicial district outside that of Massachusetts for a period of at least 72 hours from the time this Order is docketed,” Talwani wrote.
Patel is being held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The petition filed by the attorney representing Patel argues that he is being held unlawfully.
No further hearing dates have been scheduled, but the federal government has until July 6 to file a response.
Richardson issued a statement on the arrest.
“This is another example of ICE illegally and illegitimately taking someone who is working hard to support their family,” she said, including a child born in the United States. “The family is a critical part of the fabric of a small community.”
The Patels have operated the store since 2024. The attorney said ICE agents initially did not even identify themselves. They did not say where he was being taken but he was allowed to make a call when they stopped in Scarborough.
Rob Sample, a customer of the store, said he could not understand why such an action was taken.
“We appreciate them,” he said of the Patel family, adding that they work hard to provide a community service by operating the store.
Knox County Sheriff Patrick Polky said ICE notified his department after its action. He noted the agency is not required to notify the department.
Patel is a native of India.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.
Massachusetts
4 shot during World Cup watch party in Massachusetts
BROCKTON, Mass. (WJAR) — Four people were shot on Friday night after hundreds had gathered to watch a World Cup match in Massachusetts.
Police said the shooting happened just before midnight on Main Street in Brockton.
Officers said the victims were taken to the hospital.
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Police have not said if there were any arrests.
New Hampshire
Report card reflects New Hampshire’s maternal mental health improvements, room for growth – Concord Monitor
When maternal mental health report cards were introduced in 2023, New Hampshire received a failing grade.
The state’s poor performance has since improved, meeting the recommended ratio for maternal mental health therapists and psychiatric provider-prescribers per birth. Momnibus 2.0, a bill signed into law last year, built off of the gains of Momnibus 1.0 to broaden postpartum care, extending Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a full year after birth.
New Hampshire’s latest report card is reflecting those incremental strides: The state scored a C, on par with the national grade. No states earned As on their report cards, according to the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health.
Heather Martin sees the report cards as a helpful benchmark for states to track their progress.
“We didn’t have the right support for it, and now we do. And now we can do something, and moms don’t have to suffer alone,” said Martin, a lead perinatal navigator for New Hampshire Mom Hub, a maternal mental health program operated by nonprofit Hope on Haven Hill.
According to Mom Hub, 40% of childbearing people experience symptoms of anxiety and depression following birth, and 75% of these cases go untreated.
The program works to empower and educate mothers on the resources available to them, bridging the gap between health providers and mothers in need. Report cards are a step in that direction, Martin said.
The report cards grade each state on 27 measures broken up into four domains: screening and detection, providers and treatment, policy and payment and parental support.
Over the past few years, New Hampshire improved on multiple fronts. The new bills expand screening options for new mothers and supports them in hiring doulas, non-medical professionals for physical and emotional support during the birthing process.
Mothers screened at Dartmouth Health Children’s Hospital have had the opportunity to see community support therapists for follow-ups, Martin said.
“It’s not always about mental health support, it’s about community support, moms not having family around, access to childcare, so many different supports,” she said.
Mom Hub is partnered with numerous organizations and refers patients to birthing hospitals, community mental health centers, family resource centers and obstetrician and pediatric centers.
Despite New Hampshire’s improvements, there are still eight unmet measures on its 2026 report card, including parental support, provider consult accessibility, screening and health plan accountability.
One of the gaps is the inconsistency of screening data. While mothers are being screened, their results may not be documented and billed properly, according to the Maternal Mental Health Gap Analysis.
The state lost two points in the parental support category, due to a lack of paid maternal leave and accessible childcare. New Hampshire has no mandated public paid parental leave program and no guaranteed 100% wage replacement for low-income families, according to the analysis.
Currently, the Granite State Paid Family Leave is a voluntary program with about 60% wage replacement up to six weeks.
Specialized treatment programs for mothers are also lacking, especially in rural areas, according to the 2026 report cards.
New Hampshire also lacks consult lines for perinatal care. A consult line would serve as a hotline for mothers to receive support and guidance from anywhere in the state. An existing hotline only provides pediatric resources.
New Hampshire is also offering services to help with full family support out of local family resource centers like Waypoint, which has locations in Manchester and Concord. Martin emphasized that these centers are not just for low-income families but for anyone in need of support.
“They do home visiting, and they’re on the front lines of supporting families where their needs are,” she said.
Adequate health care for mothers is important beyond pregnancy, she said, since symptoms can go unnoticed for long periods of time.
“All moms need support. We are all tired, we are all sleep deprived and together is how we can support each other,” she said.
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