Weapons & Guns

Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet during the assassination attempt ... at least that's what a ballistic expert gleans from the way the former president's injured ear is healing.

Leonard Romero -- a forensic firearms examiner who's worked alongside the LAPD and several other law enforcement agencies in this field -- tells TMZ … Trump's ear healing so quickly isn't evidence he wasn't hit (as some have suggested), but on the contrary ... it's actually consistent with a graze from a bullet, as opposed to a more direct impact.

The way Leonard, explains it ... a graze only impacts the skin's surface -- it's more like a scrape or a scratch, and doesn't cause heavy damage, even when the bullet is from an AR-15 assault rifle, as was the case here.

Donald Trump's Secret Service security detail was flush with women the day he was grazed by a bullet ... and one former agent says the brass was more interested in optics than security.

TMZ Studios has a new special, "TMZ Presents: Under Fire: The Trump Assassination Attempt," where we explore the many, stunning security failures that lead to the attempt on Trump's life at his fateful Butler, Pennsylvania rally.

Richard Staropoli, a top former Secret Service Special Agent, is strongly suggesting the women assigned to protect Trump that day should shoulder a lot of the blame.

The Secret Service dropped the ball in spectacular fashion at Donald Trump's campaign rally where he was nearly killed by a would-be assassin ... so says a former USSS special agent.

TMZ Studios has a new special, "TMZ Presents: Under Fire: The Trump Assassination Attempt," where we explore the many, stunning security failures that lead to the attempt on Trump's life at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally.

Richard Staropoli, a former Secret Service Special Agent, doesn't mince words ... he says Trump's security detail totally failed him and left him inexplicably exposed to mortal danger.

Donald Trump's healing well after the attempt on his life, 'cause he's not wearing the bandage on his ear anymore -- and, frankly ... it's still a bit of a mystery if he got hit at all.

The ex-Prez sat down for an audience with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday ... and, pics are now circulating of his uncovered right ear -- and, ya gotta see them 'cause there's seemingly no lasting damage. That, or he's healed up in record time.

Check out the photos for yourself ... it's obviously not taken right next to the ear, but there's no major scarring/scabbing to see -- surprising given his former doctor Ronny Jackson told a couple interviewers the bullet blew off part of his ear, so you'd expect some damage.

Donald Trump is going back to the scene of the crime -- returning to the Pennsylvania town where he was nearly assassinated for another campaign rally.

The former president just announced plans for an event in Butler, PA, where he says he's going to honor the rallygoer who died during the July 13 shooting ... firefighter Corey Comperatore.

Trump says he will also be honoring the "brave patriots" who were injured by gunfire and survived.

Donald Trump has been railing on the FBI's director for suggesting he might not have been hit by a bullet when he was shot at -- and now ... the agency's completely backpedaling.

The FBI just put out a statement that unequivocally stands firm on the notion Trump was, in fact, struck by one of Thomas Matthew Crooks' AR-15 rounds a couple weeks ago at his rally in Butler, PA ... where one person was killed, and two others were injured.

The statement reads, "What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle."

An arrest has been made in the fatal stabbing of a woman in San Dimas, CA, which saw another woman strolling down a residential street with a Samurai sword and gashes on her leg.

Weichien Huang was booked on suspicion of murdering her wife Chen Chen Fei on July 18 ... according to the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept, which says Huang attacked Fei with a Samurai sword during a domestic dispute at their San Dimas-area home.

Huang also allegedly attacked Fei’s mom ... who managed to snatch the sword away from Huang and flee into the street to get help.

9:31 AM PT -- Steven Cheung, a rep for Donald Trump, tells TMZ ... "Anyone who believes this conspiracy bullshit is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons."

Donald Trump may or may not have been struck by a bullet during the assassination attempt on his life, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Wray, as you know, testified Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, telling the lawmakers what he knew so far about the investigation into the failed plot to murder Trump.

The Trump shooter looked up a famous assassination before his would-be attempt, Halle Berry is celebrating her "Catwoman" anniversary, and a couple WNBA rookies are boosting merchandise sales ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles explain the recent revelation from the FBI director ... who says Thomas Matthew Crooks googled the JFK assassination details before trying to kill Donald Trump.

Donald Trump’s shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, sought inspiration -- or at least intel -- from JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald ... according to the FBI.

FBI Director Christopher Wray spilled the new detail Wednesday about Crooks while testifying in front of a Congressional Committee ... saying an analysis of Crooks' laptop shows he Googled "how far away was Oswald from Kennedy” on July 6 -- the same day Trump’s Butler, PA, rally was announced.

Wray also said July 6 was the same day Thomas signed up for the July 13 Butler rally ... adding his online searches were an obvious indicator about his state of mind.

Shocking new body cam footage shows Thomas Michael Crooks lying dead with a stream of blood leaking out of his head on the rooftop of the Pennsylvania building where he tried to assassinate Donald Trump.

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the footage capturing Secret Service agents chatting with law enforcement officers in military gear as they stood on the roof around Crooks' corpse minutes after the 20-year-old was shot to death by a sniper.

As you know, Crooks fired shots at Trump with AR-15-style rifle while the Republican presidential nominee was giving a stump speech in Butler, PA. Trump was grazed in his right ear while 3 spectators were also shot -- one fatally.

The sheriff's deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey claims he feared she was going to throw a pot of boiling water on him, but based on the horrifying police body cam ... her family and their attorney aren't buying it.

Ben Crump is representing Sonya's family, and joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday alongside her father, James Wilburn, and we asked about their takeaway from the body camera footage showing her fatal interaction with law enforcement.

Ben says Sean Grayson -- the Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy charged with first-degree murder -- doesn't look like he's fearing for his safety in the footage, because instead of moving away from Sonya as she handles a pot of boiling water, he moves toward her.

The fatal police shooting of Sonya Massey has saddened Solange Knowles like many Americans -- and she's making a nuanced point about this being a regular thing in the U.S.

After taking in the brutal body cam footage that was released this week -- Solange called out America for its historic treatment of Black women ... scoffing at the responding officer's disbelief Sonya had asked not to be hurt right from the get-go when they arrived.

Sonya's plea still resulted in her dead on her kitchen floor with a bullet in her head, and Solange says words don't hold the same weight for Black women as they do everyone else.

Life goes on for Thomas Matthew Crooks' father in the wake of his son's death following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump ... because he was just seen in public for the first time since the deadly rally.

Matthew Brian Crooks ventured out Monday in the family's Bethel Park, PA hometown ... stocking up on groceries and heading back to his car ... refusing to answer questions about his now-infamous son.

The Crooks patriarch told a Fox News Digital photog the family would release a statement when advised by their legal team ... and until then, they have no comment on anything.

Sonya Massey's father is sharing his heartbreak after his daughter was shot and killed in her home by a white police officer ... slamming the deputy as a devilish figure.

James Wilburn spoke with Gayle King on "CBS Mornings" after body cam footage of the shooting showed Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson shooting Massey earlier this month ... this after she'd actually called 911 for help.

According to her dad, he claims he was never told a deputy was involved with the untimely passing of his daughter, and says he was led to believe an intruder shot and killed his daughter. JW said he learned about the facts of the case from his brother ... and felt they had been misled as part of what he characterized as an alleged "cover-up."

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is throwing in the towel on her job at the federal agency -- this after the bungled attempted assassination of Donald Trump ... and all the scrutiny that's followed, TMZ has confirmed.

Cheatle tendered her resignation Tuesday effective immediately, just a day after she was on Capitol Hill getting grilled by lawmakers over the bungled security detail with Trump at his rally in Pennsylvania ... where he was shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Multiple members of Congress demanded answers from Cheatle on what exactly went wrong that weekend -- and most of her responses were vague or unsatisfactory to the House members ... with many of them demanding she exit stage left since the buck stops with her.