Pennsylvania rally shooting: Trump recounts assassination attempt in RNC speech

Trump held a moment of silence for slain rally attendee Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief, at the Republican convention as Comperatore’s jacket and helmet were onstage.

“He was a highly respected former fire chief — respected by everybody,” Trump said.

The jacket and the helmet were wheeled on a stand onto the stage as Trump took the stage to give his acceptance speech. He walked over and kissed the helmet during his speech.

Comperatore, 50, former fire chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, was killed and two other people who attended the rally were shot and wounded in the assassination attempt. Trump was also hurt and has said a bullet pierced part of his right ear.

Trump said he has spoken to two people who were shot and wounded.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Comperatore’s family told him Comperatore, the father of two daughters, dived on them to protect them from the gunfire. “He died a hero,” Shapiro said Sunday.

Trump said tonight, “He lost his life selflessly, acting like a human shield.”

Trump said a bullet at his rally Saturday “came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life.”

Trump said tonight from the convention stage that he was prepared to turn his head even further when he heard a sound.

“I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really, hard on my right ear,” he said. “I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet.’”

Trump said he put his hand up to his right ear, and his hand was “covered with blood.”

“I immediately knew it was very serious, that we were under attack,” he said. He praised the Secret Service agents who helped him.

Trump said he would not recount what happened again because it’s “too painful to tell.”

The young Pennsylvania man who opened fire on Trump may have posted an ominous message on the gaming platform Steam hinting to fellow users that Saturday would be eventful, lawmakers were told yesterday.

During a congressional briefing yesterday, lawmakers were told that Thomas Crooks was on the platform and had hinted that he’d be in the news Saturday.

Two senior U.S. law enforcement officials told NBC New today that the FBI is trying to determine the authenticity of the Steam account and whether or not Crooks made the post.

Read the full story here.

Corey Comperatore’s family said today that they are finding peace from people around the globe after the retired firefighter was fatally shot at Trump’s rally Saturday.

Visitation was being held today for Comperatore, who was 50.

“Corey Comperatore was our beloved father and husband and a friend to so many throughout the Butler region. He was a local leader and a veteran, a former fire chief, and a committed Christian, who found peace and joy through our church. He loved and cared for us, his family,” the family said in a statement.

“Our family is finding comfort and peace through the heartfelt messages of encouragement from people around the world, through the support of our church and community, and most of all through the strength of God.”

“We thank the countless people who have prayed for us throughout the past week. We deeply appreciate your kindness.”

The funeral will be private, the family said.

A group of Republican senators confronted Cheatle at the convention, saying they wanted more answers about the Trump rally shooting. Cheatle kept walking as they shouted questions at her.

Later, in an interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker, Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota criticized Cheatle's "hostility" toward senators and called on her to resign.

An examination of Trump rally shooter Thomas Crooks’ online search history showed searches of images of Trump and Biden, said a person on a briefing call with officials.

The search history also included dates of Trump appearances and of the Democratic National Convention, to be held in Chicago, the person said.

The internet searches specific to Trump, a rally and the Democratic convention were this month, a senior U.S. law enforcement official said.

The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general’s office today announced a third probe into the Secret Service after the assassination attempt.

The watchdog office said it initiated a review “of the USSS 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 office said in a statement.

It previously announced two other reviews, one about preparations into the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday and a second about Secret Service counter-sniper team operations.

Despite a growing number of calls for Cheatle to resign, she doesn't plan to do so, the chief of communications for the Secret Service said today.

“Continuity of operations is paramount during a critical incident and U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has no intentions to step down," Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

"She deeply respects members of Congress and is fiercely committed to transparency in leading the Secret Service through the internal investigation and strengthening the agency through lessons learned in these important internal and external reviews,” he said.

Cheatle spoke this week with Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents over 373,000 members, including Secret Service agents and Pennsylvania State Police. 

Cheatle called Tuesday in response to the FOP's statement criticizing her comments as contradictory and saying they unfairly cast blame on local police for not securing the building from which Crooks fired. 

After the conversation, Cheatle and the Secret Service changed their account to say local police were not in the building; instead, they were in an adjacent building. They repeated that the responsibility to secure the building ultimately fell on the Secret Service. 

Pasco spoke to NBC News exclusively about the call and said that by the end, Cheatle agreed local police were not to blame. 

“It was a frank exchange but ended up in agreement that local police agencies had no role in the development and execution of a plan except as requested by Secret Service,” Pasco said.