Last Updated on 15/07/2024 by wccexam Desk
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, has been identified as the suspect in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 14, 2024. Crooks, a registered Republican, graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022.
Authorities have revealed that Crooks fired multiple shots from an AR-style rifle at the rally before being shot and killed by a U.S. Secret Service sniper. The FBI stated that limited insights from Crooks’ recent communications did not reveal his motive or suggest any accomplices were involved. However, his motive remains unclear, and investigators are searching for clues that may have driven him to attempt the assassination.
Crooks appeared to have little social media presence or record of political activism. Witnesses reported seeing him crawling on a roof less than 450 feet away from Trump. Crooks’ father, who owned the gun used in the attack, assumed his son had gone to a gun range and became concerned when he couldn’t reach him, eventually calling the police after hearing about the shooting.
The FBI confirmed that Crooks had not been on their radar as a potential threat prior to the shooting and that there were no signs of mental health issues. However, some of Crooks’ acquaintances described him as quiet and bullied, with one stating that he would sometimes wear hunting outfits.
Pennsylvania voting records show that Crooks was a registered Republican. Interestingly, a Federal Election Commission record indicates that on the day of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, a person named Thomas Crooks from Pennsylvania donated $15 to the Democratic-aligned Progressive Turnout Project.
The investigation is ongoing, with authorities focusing on uncovering Crooks’ motive and determining whether he had any associates. The FBI has shipped Crooks’ cell phone to their lab in Virginia, hoping to find more answers.