Donald Trump would-be assassin identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks
Thomas Matthew Crooks, is identified the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
Crooks, 20, was positioned on the roof of a manufacturing plant, over 130 yards away from Trump’s rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds on Saturday when he opened fire at the former president. The incident resulted in grazing Trump’s ear, the tragic death of a volunteer firefighter, and injuries to two other individuals. Secret Service snipers responded quickly — returning fire and taking out the 20-year-old — but not before he was able to shoot the former President, injuring two and killed another
Thomas Matthew Crooks said to be from a Bethel Park, Pennsylvania address. It is been reported that he used a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle, belonged to his father and had been purchased legally, according to two senior law enforcement officials. Crooks is believed to have fired eight shots before he was taken down, said an official citing preliminary findings.
Multiple suspicious canisters or containers were found in Crooks’ vehicle but it’s unclear if they were functional as incendiary or explosive devices, two officials said.
In a video obtained by TMZ shows the shooter, firing at former President Donald Trump. In the background, you can hear people screaming and frantically shouting and running as chaos unfolds.
The Crooks family is cooperating with investigators; however, his motive remains unclear, according to a senior law enforcement official who was briefed on the matter.
Bethel Park is a predominantly white, relatively affluent city located in the southern part of the greater Pittsburgh area. The rally’s venue, Butler, is approximately an hour’s drive north of Pittsburgh.
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. He was among more than a dozen students who received a National Math & Science Initiative Star Award that year, according to a report in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
According to former classmates, Jason Kohler, 21, said Crooks was a “loner” who was “bullied so much in high school.” Crooks would regularly wear hunting outfits and was made fun of for the way he dressed, Kohler said. “He would sit alone at lunch. He was just the outcast,” Kohler added. “It’s honestly kind of sad.”
In the statement, the agency stated: “The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.”