NW Illinois News

State Representative Bradley Fritts reacted to the shooting at former President Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally, saying, "Please keep the former President, his family, and our nation in your thoughts and prayers." He made the statement in a July 13 Facebook post.

"Today's assassination attempt on former President Trump is an egregious act of terror against American democracy," said Fritts, according to Facebook. "This is a sad day for our nation. Thank you to the Secret Service Agents who acted quickly and courageously. Please keep the former President, his family, and our nation in your thoughts and prayers."

According to an ABC News timeline of events, as former President Trump spoke of border crossing numbers, shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks fired as many as eight shots. Crooks, identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), had been seen by rally attendees as he climbed to the roof of a building 400 meters from where Trump spoke but outside the perimeter. When the shots started, Trump reached for his right ear, then looked at his hand and crouched behind the lectern. As the Secret Service piled on and tried to shield Trump, he stood and pumped his fist to the crowd before being hustled off the stage.

Screenshot of Rep. Brad Fritts' July 13 Facebook post. | State Representative Bradley Fritts Facebook page

ABC News reported on July 16 that former President Trump’s Secret Service protection had been increased after they received intelligence indicating a threat of assassination from Iran. However, there is no indication that the threat from Iran and Saturday’s incident are related.

Politico reports that there is an investigation into how the security breach allowed Crooks to get close to the Republican candidate for president, an estimated 400 feet away. The incident is being investigated as a possible act of domestic terrorism, with the full force of the Pittsburgh FBI office and national headquarters committed to the investigation. According to a July 16 report by Politico, the FBI reported on July 15 that Crooks had purchased 50 rounds of ammunition from a gun shop in his hometown and said that the gun used in the shooting, an AR-style rifle, had been purchased legally, allegedly by his father.

Bradley Fritts is the State Representative for District 74 and took office in January 2023. He is a lifelong resident of Illinois; when he’s not in Springfield, he works as a substitute teacher and farms with his family. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and consumer economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.