HERE IS WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS, THE SUSPECTED TRUMP RALLY SHOOTER

Authorities approach the suspected gunman from where he fell after the U.S. Secret Service returned fire after an apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump.

Sun 14 July 2024:

The FBI has identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from western Pennsylvania as the individual who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Crooks allegedly shot Trump from a rooftop 130 yards away, hitting the upper part of Trump’s right ear while he was speaking to rallygoers ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Who is Crooks?

Crooks lived about an hour from the shooting location in Butler and graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, receiving a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative. A graduation video shows Crooks receiving his diploma, wearing glasses and a black graduation gown.

The gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Trump was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, PA. He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. pic.twitter.com/6Gf6wsBjiY

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) July 14, 2024

Political Leanings

State voter records indicate Crooks was a registered Republican, with the upcoming November 5 election being his first opportunity to vote in a presidential race. However, at 17, he made a $15 donation to ActBlue for the Progressive Turnout Project, a group encouraging Democratic voter turnout.

FBI officially identifies shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20 of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Voter records show Crooks was a registered Republican who made one singular $15 donation to a liberal PAC on January 20, 2021 — Biden’s Inauguration Day. pic.twitter.com/orEO4hq1PS

— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) July 14, 2024

How Did He Shoot?

Video shows suspected attacker lying on roof: Report

A video posted by US tabloid TMZ appears to show the suspected attacker at Trump’s rally laying on a rooftop with a rifle before shots ring out.

The man, who appears to have long brown hair, is not shown firing in the… pic.twitter.com/obZMPR6luF

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) July 14, 2024

Video from TMZ shows Crooks lying on a rooftop with a rifle, aiming and firing. Trump, 78, had just started his speech when shots rang out, causing him to grab his ear, drop to his knees, and later be rushed to a black SUV by Secret Service agents. A second video shows a blurred body on the rooftop with a person off-camera saying, “I think they hit him because the guy, he looks dead.”

Donald Trump rally shooting:
A video shows shaky footage of the rooftop and a body.

“You can see the guy there,” a person says off camera. “I think they hit him because the guy, he looks dead.” pic.twitter.com/j3ph6XiowI

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) July 14, 2024

The FBI has said investigations are ongoing to determine Crooks’s motive for the attack that came months before the presidential elections.

“We’re looking at photographs right now and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation,” Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge, said during a press briefing.

Crooks’s father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN that he was also trying to figure out what happened and would wait until he spoke to law enforcement before speaking about his son.

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“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,” the statement continued.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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