Top news of the day: Witness claims Trump shooter moving from roof to roof during rally; CRPF jawan killed in militant attack in Manipur, and more

Witness claims Trump shooter moving from roof to roof during rally; CRPF jawan killed in militant attack in Manipur, and more in The Hindu’s top news of July 14, 2024.

Two witnesses at Donald Trump’s election rally in Pennsylvania, where he was attacked, claimed to have seen the shooter, with one recalling how the gunman moved from roof to roof, apparently scouting for a perfect perch to shoot at the former U.S. President. The FBI on July 14 identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle, was killed by Secret Service personnel. He fired multiple shots at the stage from an “elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the agency said.

The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the suspect in July 14 attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a campaign rally. The suspect was shot and killed by the Secret Service seconds after he allegedly fired shots toward a stage where Trump was speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania. The FBI said it was working to determine a motive for the attack, in which one rally attendee died and two other spectators were critically injured. Trump was shot in the ear.

A Central Reserve Police Force jawan was killed in a gun attack by suspected militants at Mongbung village in Manipur’s Jiribam district on July 14 morning, police said. A policeman also suffered injuries he has been admitted to a hospital, they said. The deceased has been identified as Ajay Kumar Jha, 43, a resident of Bihar. “He suffered bullet injuries in the head and was declared brought-dead in hospital. The injured policeman is undergoing treatment, but he is out of danger,” a police officer said.

Thiruvengadam, one of the 11 persons involved in the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader K. Armstrong, was killed in a police firing incident, near Madhavaram, on July 14. A police team of the Sembium police limits had taken Thiruvengadam to recover the weapons used for the murder when the incident happened.  A senior official of the City Police said Thiruvengadam, who is involved in three murders, was taken to a hideout where he claimed he had stashed the weapons used for the Armstrong murder near Madhavaram at around 5.30 a.m. on Sunday. When he was taken to the spot, he tried to escape after attacking the police team. At that point , the police said they had to fire at him. Thiruvengadam was killed on the spot.

Pune police on July 14 confiscated a luxury car used by controversial probationary IAS officer Pooja Khedkar by allegedly installing a red beacon light on it illegally, an official said. The Pune Regional Transport Office issued a notice to a city-based private company, which is the registered owner of the Audi car that 34-year-old Ms. Khedkar used during her posting in Pune. Shivane village in Haveli taluka was mentioned as the address of the registered user, as per officials.

“The flood situation in Assam continued to improve on July 14 as water level is receding fast across the State,” officials said. The India Meteorological Department’s Regional Meteorological Centre in Guwahati has also not issued any warning except predicting some rains in Barak valley and a few districts of central Assam. Meanwhile, a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on July 13 said that one person died at Gogamukh revenue circle of Dhemaji district. With this, the total number of people losing their lives in this year’s flood, landslide, storm and lightning has increased to 107.

After years of court battle, controversies and debates, the Ratna Bhandar, the sacred treasury of Puri Shree Jagannath Temple, was opened after 46 years, on July 14. “In accordance with the divine will of Lord Shree Jagannath, the Ratna Bhandar was opened today after 46 long years. I sincerely hope for the success of this monumental endeavour,” informed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on social networking site on July 14.