The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as the suspect in the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania’s Butler County. The shooting occurred on Saturday, just days before the Republican convention.
According to the FBI, Crooks, a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed by the Secret Service seconds after he allegedly fired shots towards the stage where Trump was speaking. Trump, who was hit in the upper part of his right ear, was quickly escorted off the stage by agents. He later expressed condolences to the family of a rally attendee who was killed by the suspect.
Crooks, a registered Republican, graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. He had received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative. However, records show that when he was 17, he made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports left-leaning and Democratic politicians. The donation was specifically earmarked for the Progressive Turnout Project, a national group that encourages Democrats to vote.
Video footage from the incident shows Crooks lying on a rooftop with a rifle, carefully aiming before firing shots. Trump, upon hearing the shots, grabbed his ear and dropped to his knees behind the podium. He was quickly shielded by Secret Service agents and later emerged, pumping his fist in the air.
The FBI is currently investigating Crooks’s motive for the attack, with ongoing efforts to analyze photographs and run DNA tests for biometric confirmation. Crooks’s father, Matthew Crooks, stated that he is also trying to understand what happened and will wait to speak to law enforcement before commenting further.
Law enforcement authorities have stationed numerous vehicles outside Crooks’s registered residence, with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives present. A bomb squad has also been deployed to the scene. The suspect’s residence is cordoned off with yellow police caution tape, and the Federal Aviation Administration has closed the airspace over Bethel Park for “special security reasons.”
