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Thomas Matthew Crooks

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Thomas Matthew Crooks
Driver's license photograph of Crooks, c. 2021
Born(2003-09-20)September 20, 2003
Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 13, 2024(2024-07-13) (aged 20)
Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Cause of deathGunshot wound
EducationBethel Park High School
Known forAttempting to assassinate Donald Trump
Political partyRepublican[1]

Thomas Matthew Crooks (September 20, 2003[2] – July 13, 2024)[3] was an American man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States and presumptive Republican Party nominee for the 2024 presidential election. On July 13, 2024, during a Trump speech at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, Crooks used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle to fire eight rounds from a rooftop around 400 feet (120 m) north of the stage. He wounded Trump on the right ear, killed an audience member, and critically injured two others. He was killed by a Secret Service Counter Assault Team sniper immediately after the shooting.[4][5]

Early life and education

Thomas Matthew Crooks was born in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.[6] The neighborhood he lived in was described as "middle-class, maybe upper-middle class".[7] Crooks attended Bethel Park High School, where he was known as an above average student, and graduated in 2022.[8][9] Classmates and school officials characterized him as quiet, with classmates claiming he was often bullied.[10][9][11] One former classmate described him as "incredibly intelligent".[7] He received a $500 "star award" the same year from the National Math and Science Initiative.[5][9] Crooks worked as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a local nursing home.[12][7] He had a rarely-used account on Discord, a social media platform.[13]

Attempted assassination of Donald Trump

On July 14, the FBI identified him as the shooter behind the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The gun he used was allegedly purchased by his father.[14] Crooks was killed by a rifleman from the United States Secret Service Counter Assault Team.[15][12] He had no known criminal record.[1][16] Photos of Crooks's body showed him wearing a shirt that appeared to be merchandise from Demolition Ranch, a YouTube channel popularizing firearms and gun culture.[16][3] Bomb-making materials were found inside his vehicle and at his home.[14] During the assassination attempt, Crooks shot three adult male[17] rally-goers, leaving one person, identified as 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, dead and two critically injured.[18]

Political views

According to a local politician who met Crooks' parents while canvassing, his mother was a Democrat and his father a Libertarian.[9] The politician described the family as a "large spattering of different backgrounds and ideals".[7]

Crooks was a registered Republican,[1][19][20][5] and his voter registration was active since September 2021, the month he turned 18.[1] A former classmate of Crooks described him as "slightly right leaning".[7]

On January 20, 2021, at the age of 17, he donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a liberal voter turnout group, through the Democratic Party donation platform ActBlue, an organization dedicated to improving turnout among Democratic Party voters.[8][12][5][21] His donation was made the same day Joe Biden was sworn into office.[9][22] According to the Progressive Turnout Project, he made the donation in response to an e-mail about "tuning into" the inauguration and was unsubscribed to the group's mailing list in 2022.[22]

Although naming Crooks the perpetrator within hours of the shooting, the FBI has not yet made any official statements addressing his political views or a possible motive.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jacoby, Kenny; Cann, Christopher (July 14, 2024). "Trump rally shooter Thomas Crooks identified: What we know". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Cann, Kenny Jacoby and Christopher. "Trump rally shooter Thomas Crooks identified: What we know". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Trump rally shooting: Ex-president injured in assassination attempt at rally that leaves spectator and gunman dead". Sky News. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Layne, Nathan; Mcdermid, Brendan; Mason, Jeff (July 14, 2024). "Trump survives assassination attempt at campaign rally after major security lapse". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Healy, Jack; Baker, Mike; Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas; Benner, Katie (July 14, 2024), "Here's What Is Known About the Suspected Gunman", New York Times, ISSN 0362-4331, archived from the original on July 14, 2024, retrieved July 14, 2024
  6. ^ Vargas, Ramon Antonio (July 14, 2024). "FBI names suspect, 20, as 'subject involved' in Trump rally shooting". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Here's What Is Known About the Suspect Who Tried to Assassinate Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Josefczyk, Aaron; Ward, Jasper; Singh, Kanishka (July 14, 2024). "Here's what we know about Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected Trump rally shooter". Reuters. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e Deto, Ryan (July 14, 2024). "Who is Thomas Crooks, the alleged gunman in the Trump shooting?". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Jacoby, Kenny; Cann, Christopher; Le Coz, Emily; Bhat, Suhail (July 14, 2024). "Trump rally shooter Thomas Crooks identified: What we know". USA Today.
  11. ^ "Trump rally shooter identified as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man". NBC News. July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c McArthur, Tom (July 14, 2024). "Thomas Matthew Crooks: What we know about Donald Trump shooting suspect". BBC News. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "Suspect in Trump assassination attempt had registered as Republican but motive unknown". ABC News. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "What we know about the 20-year-old suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump". AP News. July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024. Investigators believe the weapon was bought by the father at least six months ago, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.
  15. ^ Watson, Kathryn (July 14, 2024). "Trump says bullet "pierced the upper part of my right ear" when shots were fired at Pennsylvania rally". CBS News. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Kilner, James (July 14, 2024). "Thomas Matthew Crooks: Who was the Donald Trump shooting suspect?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Chowdhury, Tori B. Powell, Shania Shelton, Matt Meyer, Isabelle D'Antonio, Emma Tucker, Jessie Yeung, Dalia Faheid, Amarachi Orie, Michelle Shen, Michael Williams, Maureen (July 13, 2024). "Live updates: Trump survives assassination attempt | CNN Politics". CNN.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "Update from Michael Gold". The New York Times. July 13, 2024. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  19. ^ Reilly, Ryan J.; O'Donnell, Kelly; Winter, Tom; Dienst, Jonathan (July 14, 2024). "Trump rally shooter identified as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man". NBC News. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  20. ^ "FBI Identifies Thomas Matthew Crooks as 'Subject Involved' in Trump Rally Shooting". US News & World Report. Reuters. July 14, 2024. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  21. ^ Josefczyk, Aaron; Ward, Jasper; Singh, Kanishka (July 14, 2024). "Trump's shooter was a registered Republican, had donated to a Democratic PAC". Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Grim, Ryan. "Trump's shooter gave $15 to a "progressive" PAC — but there's more to the story". DropSite. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
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