WASHINGTON — The suburban Pittsburgh nursing home worker who apparently tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump was a registered Republican who rigged the vehicle he drove to a campaign event about an hour from his home with explosives.
Law enforcement officials were working Sunday to learn more about Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to determine what led him to shoot the former president from a nearby rooftop, killing a bystander, before being shot dead by Secret Service members.
The FBI said Sunday it has not yet identified an underlying ideology or any threatening documents or social media posts by Crooks, who graduated from high school two years ago and had no criminal record, according to public court records. The FBI believes Crooks acted on his own.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said on social media that the top of his right ear was pierced during the shooting. Two bystanders were seriously injured, authorities said. The person killed was Corey Comperatore, 50, a former fire chief in the area, who the Pennsylvania governor said died a “hero” when he lunged at his family to protect them.
Crooks’ relatives did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN late Saturday that he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but would not comment on his son until after he spoke to police. An FBI official told reporters that Crooks’ family is cooperating with investigators.
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. In a video of the graduation ceremony posted online, he can be seen walking across the stage to receive his certificate. The young man has a thin build and wears glasses. The school district said it will fully cooperate with investigators.
In his senior year of high school, Crooks was one of several students who received awards for their performance in math and science, according to a story published in the Tribune-Review at the time.
Crooks tried out for the school’s shooting team but was rejected because of his poor aim, said Frederick Mach, the team’s current captain, who was a few years behind Crooks in school.
Jason Kohler, who attended the same high school but did not share any classes with Crooks, said Crooks was bullied at school and no one would sit next to him at lunch. Other students made fun of him for the type of clothing he wore, including hunting gear, Kohler said.
“He was bullied almost every day,” Kohler told reporters. “He was an outcast, and you know what kids are like these days.”
Crooks worked at a nursing home as a nutritional assistant, a job that typically involves preparing food. Marcie Grimm, administrator of the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation facility, said in a statement that she was “shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement.” Grimm added that a background check on Crooks at the time of his hiring found nothing inappropriate.
Crooks’ political leanings are not immediately known. Records show he was a registered Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he donated $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn into office.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told the AP Sunday that county authorities had no prior knowledge of Crooks or any prior knowledge of him. He added that the investigation so far has not produced any evidence that he coordinated with anyone else in the area.
Authorities on Sunday set up a roadblock blocking traffic near Crooks’ home, which is in a cluster of modest brick homes in the hills outside Pittsburgh, about an hour’s drive from where Trump’s campaign rally was held. Police vehicles were parked at an intersection near the home, and officers were seen walking through the neighborhood.
Explosive materials were found inside Crooks’ vehicle near the Trump campaign rally and at his home, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. A white Allegheny County sheriff’s van bearing a bomb squad badge arrived at Crooks’ home around noon Sunday.
Crooks used an AR-style assault rifle, which authorities believe was purchased by his father. Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh area, said investigators do not yet know whether he took the weapon without his father’s permission.
A local police officer climbed onto the roof and encountered Crooks, who pointed his rifle at him. The officer quickly ran down the stairs, and Crooks immediately fired in Trump’s direction. That’s when Secret Service snipers shot him dead, said officials, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
A video posted on social media and geolocated by the AP showed Crooks dressed in gray camouflage and holding a black U.S. flag over his right arm as he lay motionless on the roof of a factory a short distance north of the Butler Farm Show facility where Trump’s appearance was held.
The roof where the alleged attacker lay was less than 150 meters (164 yards) from where Trump stood, a distance from which a sniper with a decent level of marksmanship could reasonably hit a human-sized target. For reference, 150 meters is the distance at which U.S. Army recruits must hit a human-sized silhouette in order to earn a passing grade with the M-16 rifle.
Images of Crooks’ body reviewed by the AP show he appeared to be wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a popular YouTube channel that regularly posts videos of its creator firing pistols and assault rifles at various targets, including human-shaped mannequins.
Matt Carriker, creator of Texas-based Demolition Ranch, did not immediately respond to a phone message or email, but posted a photo of Crooks’ bloodied body on social media, showing him wearing his brand’s T-shirt. The image was accompanied by the caption: “What the hell?”
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