The small Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is in shock following the FBI’s identification of a young local man as the individual who fired at Donald Trump during a campaign rally.
Investigators believe that Thomas Matthew Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle, aimed at the former president while he was speaking to a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The incident resulted in the death of one audience member and injuries to two others. The 20-year-old kitchen worker was killed at the scene by a Secret Service sniper. Thomas Crooks was from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, approximately 70 km (43 miles) from where the shooting took place.
He graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, where he received a $500 (£385) prize for his achievements in mathematics and science, according to a local newspaper.
Crooks worked in the kitchen of a local nursing home, where staff reported that he passed background checks without raising any concerns.
He attended the Community College of Allegheny (CCAC) from 2021 to 2024, graduating with an associate degree in engineering science. The college stated in report that he graduated “with high honours” and had no disciplinary issues.
State voter records indicate that he was a registered Republican. Additionally, he donated $15 to the liberal campaign group ActBlue in 2021, as shown in election donation filings and news reports.
Crooks was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, a local shooting range with facilities for high-power rifles, where he had been a member for at least a year.
The club has multiple gun ranges, including one with targets up to 171 meters away. The club’s attorney, Robert S. Bootay III, told that the club strongly condemns the violence.
Authorities believe that the AR-style rifle used in the shooting was purchased by Crooks’ father. Reports indicate that Crooks bought a box of ammunition containing 50 rounds on the day of the rally.
Investigators have yet to determine a clear motive. Officials briefed on the case reported that Crooks had visited the Butler County fairgrounds, the site of the attack, at least once in the days before the incident and had searched for symptoms of a depressive disorder on his phone. He also searched for images of both Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
The FBI stated on July 15 that forensic experts had accessed Crooks’ phone and were examining it along with other digital evidence for clues. Crooks’ family is cooperating with the investigation.
His father called the police after the shooting, though the details of the call are unclear.
FBI Director Christopher Wray informed US lawmakers that over 200 interviews have been conducted and 14,000 images reviewed. Police believe Crooks acted alone but are still investigating whether he had accomplices at the rally.
A mixed and sometimes contradictory portrait of Crooks has emerged. Local news outlet KDKA spoke with young locals who described him as a loner who was often bullied and sometimes wore hunting attire to school.
Another former classmate, Summer Barkley, characterized him as a dedicated student with a passion for history, well-liked by teachers. Others simply described him as quiet, while one unnamed classmate found him “intelligent but a little weird.”
Staff at Angelo’s Pizza, a restaurant in Bethel Park, were familiar with Crooks. The restaurant’s owner, Sara Petko, mentioned that although some staff members, including former classmates, saw him as a “loner,” they struggled to understand how a typically quiet individual could resort to violence.
Another former classmate noted that Crooks “shot terribly” and was not suited for the rifle team, a claim supported by the school district, which has no record of him trying out for the team.
Jameson Myers, a 2022 graduate with Crooks, recalled him as a “normal boy” who was not particularly popular but also not a target for bullying.
Max Smith, who took an American history course with Crooks, described him as “definitely conservative” and noted that he stood firm on conservative views during class debates.
The shooting resulted in one fatality and two injuries. The deceased was Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer fire chief who was killed while attempting to shield his family. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro praised Comperatore as “a hero.”
The injured victims were identified as 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, both Pennsylvania residents who are currently in stable condition.
A witness reported seeing a man believed to be Crooks on the roof of a building with a rifle before the shooting occurred. Greg Smith told that he alerted police about the man on the roof while Secret Service agents observed him through binoculars.
Various videos, including footage obtained, confirm the sequence of events, showing rallygoers shouting at police. The assailant fired from approximately 443 feet (135 meters) away from Trump, according to officials.
A Secret Service sniper returned fire, killing Crooks, and subsequent footage shows armed officers approaching his body on the roof.
