president biden calling for calm and unity after former president donald trump is injured in what authorities are calling an attempted assassination attempt. we have a team coverage on the latest investigation and reaction from capitol hill, and what we know about the suspected shooter. in alabama, authorities asking for the public's help for any information on a nightclub shooting that left four people dead, all during a birthday celebration. terrifying moments at sea world. one mom describing the moment her daughter's lap belt came undone in the middle of a roller coaster ride at the san diego amusement park. how she says a manager reacted. the drama and heartbreak. who emerged victorious in two major soccer tournaments. and the nation remembers actress shannen doherty after she loses her life to cancer at the age of 53. it's monday, july 15th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm frances rivera.

the republican national convention will begin today. former president trump says the horrific attempt on his life will not scare him away from attending. this as we are getting new images of the shooting that terrorized the crowd of rally goers in pennsylvania. nbc's tom llamas kicks off our coverage. >> take a look what happened -- [ gunshots ] >> reporter: new video that led to the frightening assassination attempt on donald trump. a picture is emerging of a perimeter that was protected, but just outside of it, 150 yards from where trump was speaking, an area where a would-be assassin saw a prime opportunity. eyewitnesses tell us that this field right here, to the right of where former president trump was speaking outside that perimeter was filled with people. people were just walking up. and that building right there behind me, that's where the alleged assassin was up on the roof. in these photos she

shared, valerie fennel was standing just below where the gunman started firing. you can see the building in the background. on that roof is where the shooter took his position. to try and kill former president trump. valerie said how the gunman and the snipers were exchanging fire just above her head. i asked a gentleman that was close to me, what's going on? i could tell something. he said there is somebody on the roof -- with a backpack and shortly after that is when he started shooting. >> reporter: valerie also said she saw this gate secured by just zip ties, and a woman freely riding around the area outside of that perimeter on a horse with a trump flag. the shots ringing out around 6:11 p.m., just minutes into his speech.

trump first grabbing his ear, and then taking to the ground before secret service agents rush in, completely surrounding him. mr. trump's face reappears, blood streaming from his ear and down his face. he lifts a fist in the air mouthing the words "fight" several times, before being escorted off the stage and into an suv. 50-year-old corey comperatore was attending the rally with his family. he was killed in the incident. two others were gravely injured and are in stable condition. dr. jim sweetland rushed in to help. did it hit you at any point a man has just been hit in the head at a political rally in the u.s.? >> it didn't until i was walking out. it becomes automatic. you know what you want to do, what you need to do. >> reporter: the shooter taken out by secret service agent, identified as 20-year-old thomas matthew crooks. his motive is still unclear. president biden condemning the attempt on trump's life. >> there is no place in america for this kind of violence, for

any violence, ever, period. >> reporter: mr. trump in wisconsin where later this week he is expected to accept the nomination for president. >> our thanks toe tom for that report. the investigation is intensifying into the 20-year-old gunman. nbc's shaquille brewster has the latest on the search for a possible motive. >> reporter: a more complete picture of suspected shooter thomas matthew crooks. >> the shooter may be deceased, but the investigation is very much ongoing. >> reporter: the fbi saying it has no indications of crooks having any mental health issues. previously unknown to law enforcement, the 20-year-old was a registered republican who according to campaign finance reports donated $15 to a democratic group. the investigation now shifting 50 miles south to crooks' home in bethel, pennsylvania. the bomb squad telling nbc news they entered his residence.

some close neighbors were evacuated, others shaken by loud sounds. >> it's a quiet neighborhood. and what goes on in everybody's homes, we just don't know. you know, what people are going through in their own life, we just don't know. >> reporter: two officials telling nbc news that law enforcement found a number of suspicious canisters or containers in the suspect's vehicle near the rally, but say it's unclear if they were functional explosive devices. >> thomas crooks. >> reporter: and we're starting to hear from people who were familiar with crooks for years. former schoolmate jason cooler describing the 20-year-old as a loner who was regularly bullied for wearing hunting gear and a surgical mask to class. >> he would sit alone at lunch. he was just an outcast. and you know how kids are these days. they're going to see someone like that and they're going to target him because they think it's funny or whatever. >> reporter: authorities still without a clear motive as they attempt to piece together what led to this tragedy. >> insane. it's not something -- this were i live. the fact that it's coming out of here is

just mind-boggling. i never would have thought that. >> and our thanks to shaq for that report. washington is reeling after the first attempted assassination of a president in more than four decades. our gary gum gumbrack breaks down reactions. >> reporter: lawmakers out of washington and back to their home towns, headed up to milwaukee for rnc week. the sunday shows yesterday really gave an opportunity for lawmakers to make their voices heard on this issue. for the large part, the voices were unanimous. folks calling for unity, calling for the temperature to really be brought down here. two points really interesting, both made on yesterday's "meet the press" with kristen welker. first was with senator bernie sanders. he said, quote, politics should be kind of boring. if it was up to bernie sanders, he would be talking about issues and policy all day long. and he was trying to get the people to tamp down this rhetoric a little bit. senator lindsey graham, close ally of donald trump, was also on "meet the press" and said something

very similar. here's what he had to say. >> i wish i could say i was surprised, but i've been worried about this for a very, very long time. you know, if he wins, democracy is not going to end. he is not a fascist. he represents a point of view that millions share. the rhetoric is way too high. >> reporter: while it's by no means a majority, there are some blaming the shooting on democrats and on the rhetoric of president joe biden. that's includes senator j.d. vance, a potential vp pick for donald trump. frances? >> gary, thank you. the attempted killing of a former u.s. president while giving a speech has raised urgent concerns about the secret service's routines and capabilities. the shooter had a clear shot from a rooftop that was not secured. nbc news justice and intelligence reporter ken dilanian has that story. >> reporter: growing questions on what many in law enforcement are

calling an enormous security failure. >> that bullet was two inches to the right, it would have penetrated the former president's forehead, and we would have had a great american tragedy on our hands. >> reporter: the secret service is responsible for security at the rally and is facing an independent review of how the shooting happened. this video shows the alleged shoot owner a roof just outside the rally security perimeter, firing shots before he was taken out by a secret service counter sniper team that quick response has been praised as life-saving. but former law enforcement officials say the entire incident never should have happened. >> the buck does stop with the u.s. secret service. it's their plan. you're responsible so you can't deflect blame on anybody else and you have to make sure all these layers are put into place. >> former president trump was speaking from a stage in a field. the shooter was only 148 yards away on top of a roof, one of only a few rooftops in the rural area. a question, why was that rooftop not secured? >> so if you look at an aerial shot of that area, maybe there is half a dozen roofs, but there

is not thousands of roofs. it could have been covered for a couple of hours and it should have been. >> reporter: also, witnesses say they saw the gunman and tried to warn police. the question now were those witnesses ignored? >> we were pointing at them and the police are down there running around on the ground and we're, like, hey, man. there's a guy on the roof with the rifle and the police are, like, huh? what? they didn't know what was going on. >> reporter: the secret service did not respond to questions from nbc news, but is denying allegations it rebuffed requests from the trump campaign for more resources. as for those witness accounts, authorities say they'll investigate and house republicans have announced an investigation too, including calling on the secret service director to testify. ck to you. ba>>

and now divers and snorkelers who gathered in the florida keys for a special event that mixed ocean beauty with music. the underwater music festival happened at the national marine sanctuary on the keys. participants explore the only coral barrier reef in the country, swimming through colorful marine life and coral formations. music played through underwater speakers creating that unique experience. officials call the event a fantastic combination of music and coral reef beauty. up next on "early today," the harrowing moments when mom says her daughter's lap belt became loose in the middle of a roller coaster. with cascade platinum plus, i have upped my dish game auntie, in that dishwasher? watch me platinum plus gives you the highest standard of clean, even in your machine. clean enough for you?

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major scare at san diego's seaworld when one mom recounted the terrifying moments when her daughter's safety belt became loose while they were riding this electric eel roller coaster. shandel menendez from our san diego affiliate spoke with that mother. >> reporter: she and her daughter and niece visited seaworld san diego from arizona. after riding rides all day, higgins and her daughter decided to get on the electric eel while her niece watched as they got to the ride's peak. >> my daughter is screaming because her strap -- they call it a comfort strap was dangling in front of her face as we hung upside own. i grabbed the strap, secured it and held on for dear life as we both were screaming until the ride was over. >> reporter: higgins says there is also a lap bar designed to hold the rider in place, but she is not sure if that malfunctioned too. >> this lap was latched before we left. i checked it. the employee also

walked by and pulled on and checked it. what's to say that this latch didn't stay in place, what's to say the bar didn't also stay in place. >> reporter: once she got off, she told an attend what happened and attendant apologized before loading more people on the ride. so higgins went to guest services to speak with the manager. >> he asked me, did you read the disclaimer before getting on the ride? and shockingly, i said does the disclaimer explain that the comfort straps are optional? because if it does, then please, i have no case here. and then he laughed and said i don't think so. so then i sent my 10 and 14-year-old children to run at 10:00 at night to take a picture of this disclaimer. >> reporter: this is the disclaimer she is talk about. it reads hold on tight and remain seated with the comfort collar secured at all times during the ride. >> and when i showed him that, he threw his hands in the air and said i could call the number found on the website and had security escort us off the property. >> reporter: higgins says she has emailed more than 100 seaworld

and osha contacts trying to get help, and made a tiktok post that went viral. >> i'm advocating for all the other people commenting on the tiktok that has almost six million views that also says this has happened to them. so now this has become something bigger. >> she says she wants seaworld employees to be more careful and less dismissive. she also wants this to remind viewers to speak up when they feel something is not right. >> our thanks to shandel menendez for that report. alec battle win's manslaughter case dismissed friday, the lawyer for hannah gutierrez-reed is seek to have his liclient's dismissed. a prop gun handled by baldwin went off and killed halyna hutchins. she is serving an 18-month sentence for involuntary manslaughter. her lawyer told nbc news that, quote, we're going to be filing on the same basis of discovery violations which have occurred throughout her case and continue to occur. baldwin's case was thrown out after the judge found that the prosecution had

withheld evidence. police in alabama are investigating a nightclub shooting that left four people dead and at least ten others injured. police say a gunman drove by an event center late saturday night where a party was being held and opened fire. authorities also say there was some kind of altercation inside the club, but it's not clear yet if that is connected to the shooting. so far there have been no, and police asked the public for any information. still to come, no messi? no problem. argentina overcomes the loss of the g.o.a.t. to score a win at the copa america. and a championship recap, right after this. ♪♪ not all toothpastes whiten the same. crest 3d white removes 100% more stains for a noticeably whiter smile. new personal best. crest. finish ultimate. engineered for the toughest conditions. dry burnt-on stains. old dishwashers. very hard water.

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shortly, on the upper bar with the -- right across the face of the goal, and there it is! spain grabs a winner. it's oyarzabal!

>> spain extended england's decades' long title drought at the championship on sunday. mikal oyarzabal broke the tie with his blitz in the goal in the 86 minute of play. it gaves spain the victory that puts them one ahead of germany for the most in history. and argentina had to overcome more than a juggernaut at the copa america. lionel messi left 64th minute after suffering a right ankle injury. they continued into extra time until a late prayer from argentina's lautaro martinez was answered. >> lautaro martinez, lautaro martinez! >> the defending world cup champs take home their record 16th copa america while ending

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public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer. with all the smiles there, she seemed in good spirits. and you see her daughter princess charlotte was right there by her side. and also with her, her sister, pippa matthews. dr. ruth westheimer, the holocaust orphan who became one of the most famous sex therapists in america died on friday. she broke barriers and found sudden fame on radio, bookstores in the 1980s. she famously spoke candidly and publicly about intimate subjects that many people didn't mention at the time. she was 96 years old. rit cke today" will b ghba. [♪♪] there's a way to cut your dishwashing time by 50%. try dawn powerwash dish spray. it removes 99% of grease and grime in half the time. it cleans so well, you can replace multiple cleaning products. try dawn powerwash. [audience laughing] worried you'll laugh so hard you'll leak? well always discreet can hold your biggest gushes with up to zero leaks and odor.

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hollywood mourning the loss of actress shannen doherty this morning. her publicist confirming that doherty died saturday after a years' long battle with cancer. doherty began her career as a child star, but was best known for her roles in beverly hills 90210 and charmed. she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and went into remission two years later. but in 2020, she revealed her cancer had come back, and announced last year that it had spread to her brain. shannen doherty was 53 years old. and fans are also mourning another beloved entertainer. fitness guru richard simmons died this weekend at the age of 76. simmons was found unresponsive at his hollywood hills home on saturday. the exact cause of his death is pending. erin mclaughlin has more on his life and legacy

>> he inspired millions of people with his own story of weight loss. at 5'7" and 268 pounds, the obese teen became an easy target for bullies. >> i used to turn to food when friends weren't there. >> reporter: tireless teasing spurred simmons on a dangerous dieting binge that nearly cost him his life. >> and a nurse asked me a question that changed my life. and that question was do you want to live or you want to die? and i just chose to live. >> reporter: he moved to los angeles in the early 1970s and opened an exercise studio. >> they could come in and feel good about themselves. >> reporter: his health club slimmons was the start, producing over 50 workout videos, selling millions of copies. >> welcome to the mall, you're going to have a ball. >> reporter: after 40 years in the spotlight, simmons' very public persona suddenly vanished. and for several years he was unseen, until calling into today

show in 2016 to set the record straight. >> no one is holding me in my house as a hostage, you know. i do what i want to do, as i've always done. >> reporter: then after a documentary about his absence from public life, weighing in again, saying he is living the life he has chosen. fans missing him, but continuing to embrace his mission. >> let's dream a bit and cool down. >> reporter: and his vibrance and candor. simmons once said i'm supposed to make you laugh, give you self-worth and help others. >> you have to enjoy each and every day. >> reporter: a mantra now missed by millions. erin mclaughlin, nbc news. and thank you for starting your week with "early today." i'm frances rivera. have a great monday. see you back here early tuesday morning.