Suspected shooter at Trump rally identified
The FBI has discovered the identity of the man accused of opening fire at the Donald Trump political rally in Pennsylvania that injured the former president.
The feds believe Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was 20 years old, was the man who pulled the trigger that reportedly grazed Trump’s ear, causing visible bleeding. The investigators also said one attendee was killed and two others were critically injured.
Crooks was reportedly shot and killed by Secret Service agents seconds after he opened fire in an alleged attempt to assassinate Trump at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Feds trace the origins of would-be Donald Trump assassin
The FBI quickly traced Crooks to his home in Bethel Park, about an hour away from the crime scene in Butler, Reuters reports. The block where the house is located has been cordoned off as investigators work to determine a motive.
ABC affiliate WJET-TV, Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School. The New York Times obtained video footage of the graduation. The school, however, declined media inquiries.
“Our school district will cooperate fully with the active law enforcement investigation surrounding this case, and as such, we are limited in what we can publicly disclose,” the statement, obtained by Reuters, read.
Crooks did receive a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN that he’s declining interviews until he has finished speaking with the Department of Justice.
