Thomas Matthew Crooks has been described by classmates as a “loner” who regularly wore hunting outfits to school and was “bullied almost every day”. The 20-year-old lived in a well-off city in Pennsylvania.
Thomas Matthew Crooks has been named as the gunman in the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday evening.
Described as a “outcast” who regularly wore hunting outfits to school, Crooks lived in a well-to-do city an hour from scene of his assassination attempt.
Investigators say bomb-making material was found in a vehicle at his home.
Who was the gunman?
Law enforcement said Crooks was 20 years old and from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, a predominantly white, relatively well-to-do city in the southern part of greater Pittsburgh.
The site of the rally, Butler, is about an hour’s drive north of Pittsburgh.
Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on 20 January 2021, the day Biden was sworn into office.
An “outcast” who wasn’t let onto the school rifle team
A high school classmate, Jason Kohler, 21, said Crooks was a “loner” who was “bullied so much in high school”.
He would regularly wear hunting outfits and was made fun of for the way he dressed, Mr Kohler said.
“He would sit alone at lunch. He was just the outcast,” Mr Kohler said. “It’s honestly kind of sad.”
Crooks tried out for the school’s rifle team but was turned away because he was “a bad shooter”, said Frederick Mach, a current captain of the team who was a few years behind Crooks at the school.
Michael Dudjak, 20, who went to school with Crooks for most of his life, recalled him as a relatively reserved and quiet classmate. He didn’t hear or see Crooks being actively bullied by their peers, Mr Dudjak said, but Crooks was “on his own a lot”.
He couldn’t recall Crooks ever being outspoken about politics or very active on social media. Mr Dudjak was with some friends and acquaintances from high school Saturday night when he learned that Crooks was the gunman.
They were all “in shock” and “couldn’t fathom” the news, he said.
“What the hell is going on”
Thomas Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, reportedly 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.
Crooks used an AR-style rifle, which authorities said they believe was purchased by his father.
Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge in Pittsburgh, said that investigators do not yet know if he took the gun without his father’s permission.
Crooks worked at a nursing home as a dietary aide, a job that generally involves food preparation.
Marcie Grimm, the administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, said in a statement she was “shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement.”
Ms Grimm added that Crooks had a clean background check when he was hired.
He is believed to have won a National Maths and Science Initiative Star Award worth $500 (£393) on graduating from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to local news site the Tribune Review.
Demolition Ranch
He also appeared to wear merchandise promoting one of YouTube’s most popular channels devoted to firearms during the attack, NBC News reported.
He was wearing a grey T-shirt with an American flag on the sleeve and block lettering that was partially obscured in photos from the scene.
The appearance and lettering on the shirt matches a shirt for sale by firearm YouTube channel Demolition Ranch.
After online speculation grew about the gunman, Demolition Ranch’s founder posted to social media, sharing photos of the shooting’s aftermath and writing: “Last night was crazy… I’ve got news stations calling me asking if I ever spoke with the shooter… what… the… hell.”
Demolition Ranch has over 11 million subscribers on YouTube, where the channel frequently posts videos about various types of firearms.
