He 20 year old man The man who apparently tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump first came to the attention of law enforcement at Saturday’s rally when onlookers saw him acting strangely before the event. The tip-off sparked a frantic search, but officers were unable to find him until he made it to a rooftop and began shooting.
Following the shooting that killed a bystander, investigators were searching for clues about what might have led to Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to carry out the shocking attack. The FBI said it was investigating it as a possible act of terrorism, But the absence of a clear ideological motive for the man shot down by the Secret Service led to conspiracy theories proliferating.
“I urge everybody, everybody, please don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations,” President Joe Biden said in remarks from the White House on Sunday.Let the FBI do their job and its partner agencies to do their job. I have instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift.”
The FBI believes that Crooks, who had materials for making car bombs that he brought to the rally, acted on his own. Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to attack Trump before the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was led off the stage by the Secret Service, his face covered in blood.
Trump said on social media that a bullet had pierced the top of his right earbut aides said he was “in high spirits” before arriving in Milwaukee on Sunday for the Republican National Convention. Two spectators were seriously injured and a former area fire chief, Corey Comperatore, died. Pennsylvania’s governor said Comperatore, 50, had died like a hero as he throws himself on his family to protect them.
Her father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN on Saturday night that he was trying to figure out “What the hell is going on”but would not comment on his son until after he spoke to police. An FBI official told reporters that Crooks’ family is cooperating with investigators.
Several attendees at the event told local police officers that Crooks was acting suspiciously and hovering near the metal detectors, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation. Officers were then told that Crooks was climbing a ladder, the official said. Officers searched for him but were unable to find him before he reached the roof.
A local police officer He went up to the roof and met Crooks.who turned toward him just before the officer took cover, according to Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe. The officer could not have drawn his gun in that situation, he said. He backed up the stairs and Crooks fired rapidly in Trump’s direction, Slupe said.
That’s when Secret Service snipers shot him dead, said two officials, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
FBI agents said Sunday they were investigating the Crooks’ past and social media activity while they worked to gain access to his phone. The messaging app Discord, a platform popular with people who play online games, said Crooks appeared to have had an account but had rarely used it in recent months. There was no evidence that he used his account to promote violence. or comment on their political positions, according to a Discord spokesperson.
Crooks’ political leanings are unknown at this time. Documents show he was registered as Republican voter in Pennsylvania, But federal campaign finance reports also show he donated $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn into office.
Crooks graduated from the Bethel Park High School in 2022. In a video of the graduation ceremony posted online, he can be seen walking across the stage to receive his certificate. The young man is of thin build and wears glasses. The school district said it will fully cooperate with investigators.
In his senior year of high school, Crooks was one of several students who received awards for their performance in mathematics and science, according to a news item published in the Tribune-Review newspaper at the time.
Crooks tried out for the school’s shooting team but was rejected because of his poor aim, said Frederick Mach, the team’s current captain, who was a few years behind Crooks in school.
Trump attacker ‘was bullied at school and no one would sit next to him’
Jason Kohler, who attended the same high school but did not share any classes with Crooks, said Crooks He was bullied at school and no one would sit next to him at lunch. Other students teased him about the type of clothing he wore, including hunting attire, Kohler said.
“He was bullied almost every day,” Kohler told reporters. “He was an outcast, and you know what kids are like these days.”
Crooks worked at a nursing home as a nutritional assistant, a job that typically involves preparing food. Marcie Grimm, administrator of the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation home, said in a statement that she was “shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement.” Grimm added that a background check of Crooks Nothing inappropriate was found at the time of Crooks’ hiring.
Authorities set up a roadblock Sunday near Crooks’ home, which is in a suburban neighborhood. modest brick homes in the hills outside Pittsburgh, about an hour’s drive from where Trump’s campaign rally was held. Police vehicles were parked at an intersection near the home, and officers were seen walking through the neighborhood.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said Sunday that county authorities had no prior knowledge of Crooks or any prior knowledge of him. He said investigations so far have not produced any evidence that he coordinated with anyone else in the area.
Crooks used a AR type assault rifle, which authorities believe was acquired by his father. Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh area, said investigators do not yet know whether he took the gun without his father’s permission.
A video posted on social media and geolocated shows Crooks dressed in grey camouflage and carrying a black American flag on his arm right as he lay motionless on the roof of a factory a short distance north of the Butler Farm Show grounds where Trump’s appearance was held.
The roof where the alleged attacker lay was less than 150 meters (164 yards) from where Trump was located, a distance from which a sniper with an acceptable level of aim could reasonably hit a human-sized target. For reference, 150 meters is the distance at which U.S. Army recruits must hit a human-sized silhouette in order to earn a passing grade with the M-16 rifle.
Images of Crooks’ body reviewed by the AP show he appeared to be wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a popular YouTube channel that regularly posts videos of its creator firing pistols and assault rifles at various targets, including human-shaped mannequins.
Matt Carriker, creator of Texas-based Demolition Ranch, did not immediately respond to a phone message or email, but posted a photo of Crooks’ bloodied body on social media, showing him wearing his brand’s T-shirt. The image was accompanied by the caption: “What the hell?”
