Thomas Matthew Crooks was the shooter in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said early Sunday.
Trump, who was immediately pulled from the stage by Secret Service agents, said late Saturday that he’d been shot in the ear but expects to be fine. One person in the crowd was killed and two were badly wounded.
The gunman, meanwhile, was killed by the Secret Service.
The attack marked the most serious assassination attempt on a president or presidential candidate in the U.S. since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump is whisked away by Secret Service after shots rang out at a campaign rally at Butler Farm Show Inc. on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Who is Thomas Matthew Crooks?
Thomas Matthew Crooks driver’s license photo (AFP Photo/Handout)
Not long after Trump was whisked from the stage with blood on his face, witnesses reported that they’d seen a man with a rifle “bear crawling” along a rooftop outside of the rally. That man was shot by agents after he opened fire, witnesses said.
The Secret Service would only confirm that they’d “neutralized” the gunman, who was firing from an elevated position. Later in the night, the FBI named Crooks as the shooter.
Inset: Thomas Crooks school photo, via the New York Post
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI,” the statement continued.
Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that bomb-making materials were found inside Crooks’ vehicle. There were also bomb-making materials found at his home.
Photo from Getty Images of the alleged shooter, who was killed by the Secret Service, according to a source from the agency, reported CNN, on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, United States.
Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN late Saturday that he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but wouldn’t speak about his son until after he talked to law enforcement.
Investigators recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. Investigators believe the weapon was bought by the father at least six months ago, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.
An Allegheny County Police Bomb Squad car drives towards the home of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected shooter of former US President Donald Trump, as the FBI carries out an investigation, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on July 14, 2024. (Photo by
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The AP also reports bomb-making materials were found inside the suspect’s car, and there were also bomb-making materials found at his home.
Authorities didn’t immediately give details on a motive and the political leanings of Crooks were not immediately clear.
“We do not currently have an identified motive,” Kevin Rojek, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Pittsburgh field office, told the AP.
Trump shooting: suspect identified after shooting at rally
The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Crooks was a registered Republican, according to state voter records. The FBI told reporters the agency has taken the lead in investigating the attack.
Crooks was a registered Republican, according to voting records, but had only participated in the Nov. 8, 2022, state election due to his age. The day Joe Biden was inaugurated, records show, he made a $15 donation to Progressive Turnout Project, a Chicago-based political action committee that supports Democrat candidates for public office and claims to advocate for “key Democratic constituencies: young people, minorities and low-income people.”
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, FOX News reported. He was one of nearly two dozen students from the school to earn a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative.
Bomb materials found in vehicle at home of suspected shooter
Law enforcement officials tell The Associated Press bomb-making materials were found inside the vehicle of the man suspected in the Trump rally shooting. There were also bomb-making materials found at his home.
A search by Fox News Digital revealed Crooks would have turned 21 years old this September. He had no reported criminal or traffic citations and no reported bankruptcies, liens or foreclosures.
There is no record of him ever having served in the military.
Trump shooting investigation
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Several shots were reportedly fired at former President Donald Trump during a Pennsylvania rally, causing screams from the crowd as Secret Service agents, noticing he was bleeding from the ear, quickly escorted him off the stage.
In a statement on social media, Trump said he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.” It took two minutes from the moment of the first shot for Trump to be placed in a waiting SUV.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger informed CNN that, besides the spectator who was killed, another attendee is in serious condition at a local hospital.
“The shooter is dead,” Goldinger confirmed.
He mentioned that the shooter was outside the rally grounds but didn’t provide further details about the location.
“Quite frankly, I don’t know how he would have gotten to the location where he was, but he was outside the grounds, and I think that’s something that we’re going to have to figure out — how he got there,” Goldinger told CNN.
This graphic shows a bird’s eye view of the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, as well as the alleged would-be assassin’s vantage point. (Fox News)
President Joe Biden and political leaders of all stripes condemned the attack. “There’s no place in America for this type of violence,” Biden said. “It’s sick. It’s sick.”