Trump rally shooting: what we know about the suspected gunman

🌈 Abstract

The article provides a detailed account of the background and circumstances surrounding the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump by a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man named Thomas Matthew Crooks.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Early Portrait of the Suspect

1. What is the background of Thomas Matthew Crooks?

• Crooks resided in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white and affluent suburb of Pittsburgh.
• Public records show he shared a home with parents who were licensed behavioral care counselors, and he had no criminal or financial history.
• Crooks was a junior at Bethel Park High School when he donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a Democratic-aligned PAC, on the first day of President Biden's term.
• Later in his senior year, Crooks registered to vote as a Republican and maintained that affiliation through the 2022 midterm elections.
• One classmate described Crooks as "definitely conservative" based on his stance in a mock debate, while another said he did not show particular interest in politics in high school.
• Crooks was reportedly bullied and considered an "outcast" by his peers for his choice of clothing and eating alone at lunch.

2. What else is known about Crooks' background and behavior?

• Crooks was described as a "really smart kid" who excelled academically, including receiving a $500 "star award" from the National Math and Science Initiative.
• Two former classmates said Crooks was rejected from the school's rifle club because he was not a skilled shot.
• Crooks reportedly had an account on the online chat app Discord, which the company said was "rarely utilized" and showed no evidence of being used to plan the incident or discuss political views.

[02] The Assassination Attempt

1. What happened during the assassination attempt?

• Crooks went to a Trump rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, about an hour north of his hometown.
• He got on the roof of a bottle manufacturing plant near the rally venue and took aim at the stage where Trump was speaking, which was less than 500 feet away.
• Crooks fired several shots towards the stage, with one bullet reportedly piercing the upper part of Trump's right ear, though Trump was otherwise unharmed.
• Secret Service agents returned fire and killed Crooks.

2. What else was found related to the assassination attempt?

• Authorities discovered bomb-making materials in Crooks' home and car, which was parked near the rally site.
• Police also received reports of suspicious packages near where Crooks was, prompting the dispatch of bomb technicians.
• Crooks was wearing a T-shirt branded with the name of a YouTube channel dedicated to guns and demolition content.

3. What was the FBI's investigation into the assassination attempt?

• The FBI identified Crooks as the would-be assassin and said he appeared to have acted alone, with no immediate public safety concerns about a larger plot.
• Agents canvassed Crooks' neighborhood, seized his electronic devices, and reviewed his communications before the rally, but had not yet uncovered a motive or determined if he adhered to any specific ideologies.
• Crooks' family was cooperating with the investigation, which also aimed to determine how he obtained the rifle used in the attack.