A local mayor who was seated in the front row during the rally where Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt has recounted the terrifying events, a year after the incident.

Thomas Crooks, 20, acted alone as a gunman and fired a series of shots at Trump, who was then a presidential candidate. This attack resulted in a graze on Trump’s ear, with blood streaked across his cheek.

Trump ducked as he was being shot at the Butler Fairgrounds in the Pennsylvanian industrial town, prompting his security team to jump to protect him.

In a display of resilience, Trump stood up, clenched his fist, and encouraged his followers to stand firm, marking an unforgettable moment not only in the 2024 presidential campaign but also in the annals of US history.

However Corey Comperatore, a firefighter, died while trying to protect his family at the rally.

The attempted assassination was the start of a week which culminated in Trump’s rival at the time, Joe Biden, abandoning his re-election campaign.

But the events sparked the biggest security crisis the US had faced since the shooting of Ronald Reagan in 1981.

JonDavid “JD” Longo, the mayor of Slippery Rock, gave a speech at the rally before Trump took to the stage.  

He spoke warmly about a conversation he had with Trump 30 minutes before the shooting unfolded.

Longo and Trump spoke about the ground campaign in Pennsylvania – one of the key swing states that the 45th president was trying to claw back having lost it in 2020.

Longo then went to join his pregnant wife, Nicolina, and his mother-in-law in the rally’s front row.

Yet minutes later he was ordering them to duck for cover when shots rang out.

“If one of us were tall enough or stood up, there’s a good chance we might’ve fallen victim to this lunatic,” he told The U.S. Sun.

“All I could do was to lay on top of her and yell to those to get down. 

“I feared for my pregnant wife, my-mother-law and my friends. 

“I found out my wife was pregnant with our first child days before the rally.

“She was 9 to 10 weeks pregnant at the time. The idea of pregnancy was very fragile.”

Longo, who has formerly served in the Marine Corps and Afghanistan, said the temperatures on July 13 last year were close to 100F, describing the weather as “brutally hot.”

He revealed how some of those in attendance didn’t duck for cover when being ordered to.

“Many people had their cell phones up recording the president,” he said

Longo recalled how many of those in attendance were in disbelief when he instructed them to take cover. 

“Many decided to go from standing to sitting but still looking at Trump, refusing to go onto the deck to make themselves a smaller target, as would be the expected response to a violent act like that,” he said.

Crooks fired eight rounds and Longo admitted he didn’t think the noise was gunshots. 

He recalled how his brain struggled to compute that it could be a firearm.

Sue Tidwell, who lives in northwest Idaho, was in Pennsylvania for three weeks at the time of the rally.  It was the first time she had gone to such an event.

She said supporters had waited for several hours trying to get into the Butler fairgrounds.

“We were in there like sardines – just jammed in there,” she said.

“It was so hot – people were passing out left and right.”

Tidwell had waited in line for between two and three hours before getting into the fairgrounds.

She and her friend then faced another three hour wait before the main event – Trump.

Like Longo, she didn’t initially realize it was the sound of gunshots when she heard the popping noise.

“At first, you just think it’s fireworks. You just think your mind doesn’t comprehend it,” she said.

“We just kind of heard the shots and we went to the ground. 

“It was instantaneous. When you heard the shots, suddenly we were laying on the ground.”

She admitted she couldn’t see what had happened to Trump.

Trump was referring to a chart and was criticizing Biden’s immigration policies before Crooks started firing. 

Crooks was armed with an assault rifle and crawled into position before unleashing a volley of shots.

Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks?

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, tried to kill Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.

Who is Thomas Matthew Crooks?

• Thomas Matthew Crooks left few clues about his identity, and investigators said he did not have a social media presence.
• What is known is Crooks was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a small suburb about 30 minutes south of Pittsburgh.
• He lived with his parents, Mary Elizabeth Crooks and Matthew Brian Crooks.
• The Crooks have been licensed professional counselors since 2002, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State Licensing System Verification service.
• Thomas Matthew Crooks attended and graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022.
• In May 2024, Crooks graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County with an associate degree in engineering science, the school revealed.
• Crooks was previously employed as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
• He was a registered Republican but made a small $15 donation to a progressive political group in January 2021.
• Crooks did not have a criminal history in Pennsylvania.

How did Thomas Crooks obtain the rifle used in the shooting?

• Federal investigators believe the AR-15-style rifle Thomas Crooks used in the shooting on July 13 was legally purchased and registered to his father.
• Matthew Brian Crooks purchased the weapon at least six months before the Trump rally shooting, according to The Associated Press.
• It’s unknown how the younger Crooks took possession of the firearm.
• The Crooks family is cooperating with federal investigators.
• Thomas Crooks also had a membership at the local shooting club, the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, for at least a year, according to BBC.

What were Thomas Matthew Crooks’ final moments?

• On July 12, federal investigators learned Thomas Crooks visited the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club.
• On July 13, the day of the Trump rally in Butler, Crooks went to a Home Depot and purchased a five-foot ladder that investigators believe he used to scale a rooftop about 430 feet outside the Secret Service’s perimeter.
• That same day, investigators said Crooks purchased 50 rounds of ammunition at a gun store and drove his Hyundai Sonata an hour north to Butler.
• Crooks fired at least eight shots at Donald Trump and rally-goers at 6:11 pm, less than 10 minutes after the presidential candidate took the stage.
• A Secret Service counter-sniper positioned near the stage where Trump was delivering his remarks returned fire within seconds, killing Crooks.

What was his motive behind the shooting?

• The FBI is still working on determining a motive behind the shooting.
• The federal agency is viewing the act as domestic terrorism.
• Crooks is believed to have acted alone.
• Federal officials have been able to gain access to Crooks’ cell phone, but it has yielded no clues about a motive, according to the New York Post.
• Crooks’ cell phone and laptop have been sent to the FBI’s lab in Quantico, Virginia, for further analysis.

Kevin Rojek, an FBI special agent, said Crooks was “hyper-focused” on carrying out the shooting, labeling his plot as a “sustained and detailed effort.”

Trump tried to clamber to his feet in a bid to reassure his supporters, while his security personnel tried to shield him.

The top of his ear had been pierced with blood smeared on his cheek, but Trump told his supporters to fight.

Crooks was shot by a counter sniper but the Secret Service’s competency was immediately called into question as many demanded to know how he was able to get in a position to fire at Trump.

Comperatore’s sister, Kelly Comperatore Meeder, is leading the calls for the agency to be held accountable.

“They have my brother’s blood on their hands and they are able to return to work and go back to living their lives,” she told CBS News.

“Our family is furious.”

The agency has seen major changes over the past year, with boss Kimberly Cheatle stepping down 10 days after the assassination attempt. 

Six Secret Service agents have also since been suspended over what unfolded in Butler.

Officials for the agency revealed the suspensions ranged from 10 to 42 days, but most details have been kept under wraps.

Myosoty Perez was one of the agents suspended, her lawyer told The New York Post.

Matt Quinn, the Secret Service’s deputy director, has revealed how Butler was an “operational failure.”

“Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler.”

Butler was the first assassination attempt against Trump.

Weeks later, Trump was the target of a second plot at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.