A 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by Secret Service agents after attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday.
Crooks’ background, as pieced together from public records and interviews, reveals a complex yet sparse profile.
Crooks lived in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white and affluent suburb of Pittsburgh, with his parents, who were licensed behavioral care counselors. His records showed no criminal or financial troubles.
During his time at Bethel Park High School, Crooks displayed minimal political engagement.
He was in his junior year and made a $15 donation to the Progressive Turnout Project on the first day of Joe Biden’s presidency.
His father is a registered Republican, while his mother is a registered Democrat.
By his senior year, Crooks had registered as a Republican and maintained this affiliation through the November 2022 midterm elections.
He was also a recipient of a $500 National Math and Science Initiative “star award.”
Former classmates described Crooks as intelligent and more interested in computers and games than politics.
“He was super smart.
That’s what really kind of threw me off was, this was, like, a really, really smart kid, like he excelled,” a classmate told Reuters.
Another former schoolmate recalled Crooks being bullied for his choice of attire and being a “loner” and “outcast.”
The man noted, “It’s honestly kind of sad … He was bullied so much.”
Reports also mentioned that Crooks was rejected from the school’s rifle club due to lack of skill.
Additionally, he had an account on Discord, a platform previously linked to violent incidents, but the account showed little activity and no evidence of planning the attack.
On Saturday, Crooks traveled to a bottle manufacturing plant in Butler County, Pennsylvania, about an hour north of Bethel Park, where Trump was speaking at a rally.
Witnesses saw Crooks on the rooftop with an AR-style rifle aiming at Trump.
Despite warnings, officers did not immediately respond. Crooks fired several shots towards the stage, killing one spectator and critically wounding two others.
Trump reported, “A bullet pierced the upper part” of his right ear, but he was otherwise “fine.”
Secret Service agents returned fire, killing Crooks.
Law enforcement sources confirmed that the rifle Crooks used was legally purchased by his father.
Authorities found bomb-making materials in Crooks’ home and car, and there were reports of suspicious packages at the rally site.
Graphic images on social media showed Crooks wearing a T-shirt linked to a YouTube channel about guns and demolition.
The channel’s host expressed shock over the incident.
The FBI identified Crooks as the would-be assassin, stating he appeared to act alone and there was no evidence of a broader plot.
The motive remains unclear, and there are no signs of mental health issues or threatening behavior on his social media profiles.
The FBI noted that Crooks’ family was cooperating with the investigation, which included how he obtained the rifle.
The Bethel Park skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, where Crooks worked as a dietary aide, expressed shock and sadness at his involvement in the shooting, noting his clean background check and condemning the violence.