Team USA Olympics coach Steve Kerr has condemned a ‘shameful’ and ‘demoralizing’ day in the history of the United States, after former President Donald Trump was shot at a campaign rally.
Trump, 78, was speaking on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania when a shooter attempted to assassinate him, with a bullet grazing his ear before secret service rushed the stage to protect him.
The historic events unfolded thousands of miles from where Team USA’s basketball team are preparing for the upcoming Paris Olympics, but head coach Kerr used a press conference to speak out about the incident.
‘This is a time where we feel very proud to represent our country wearing USA on our chest, competing in the Olympics,’ Kerr told reporters.
‘We’ve talked to the players about how important it’s to show the best version of us as human beings to represent our country in a respectful, dignified manner. It makes you want to do that even more so, because this is really shameful for us to sit here and think about what happened and what’s going on in our country.’
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For Kerr, the shocking incident will have brought back tragic memories from his own past, with his father Malcolm assassinated in 1984 in Beirut, while serving as president of the American University of Beirut.
‘It’s such a demoralizing day for our country, and it’s yet another example of not only our political division but also gun culture,’ Kerr added. ‘A 20-year-old with an AR-15 trying to shoot the former president.
‘It’s hard to process everything, and it’s scary to think about where this goes because of the issues that already exist in the country. So this is a terrible day.
‘Thank God Trump wasn’t hit, but it’s just so demoralizing in every which way.’
On Sunday morning, the FBI identified the suspected gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a registered Republican who had donated to Joe Biden.
His father Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN he was trying to figure out ‘what the hell is going on’ but would ‘wait until I talk to law enforcement’ before speaking.
Crooks had fired at least eight bullets from a rooftop just 130 yards from where Trump, 78, was on stage in Butler speaking to thousands of fans at 6.15pm.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that Crooks, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, had been armed with ‘an AR-style rifle’.
During the attack, he appeared to be wearing merchandise promoting one of YouTube’s most popular channels devoted to firearms – Demolition Ranch – NBC News reported.
Special Agent Kevin Rojek, the FBI officer in charge, said Crooks had been identified using DNA as he was not carrying any ID on him.
State voter records show Crooks was a registered Republican. According to US media, when he was aged 17 he donated $15 to the liberal ActBlue political action committee on January 20, 2021 – Biden’s Inauguration Day.
A member of the crowd was killed in the deadly shooting, while two others who were wounded are in a critical condition. All three are males, according to law enforcement officials.
Trump was left bloodied and hurt during the assassination attempt as he was seen to suddenly grab hold of his ear as loud bangs rang out and whizzed by before he ducked to the floor.
The Secret Service swarmed around the 45th US President as piercing screams were heard from the MAGA crowd.
He then got to his feet with blood pouring down his cheek and raised his fist in the air and defiantly shouted ‘fight’ while the audience shouted ‘USA’ as he was dragged off stage and bundled into a vehicle.