Authorities have identified the shooter responsible for the attack at a Trump campaign rally as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The incident occurred just days before former President Donald Trump was set to accept the Republican nomination for a third time. Crooks was killed by Secret Service agents on Saturday, and investigators are still working to determine a motive for the attack.
During the rally, one attendee was killed, and two spectators sustained critical injuries. Crooks’ relatives have not yet responded to inquiries from The Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, expressed his confusion about the situation but declined to comment further until he speaks with law enforcement. The political leanings of Thomas Crooks remain unclear, although records indicate he was a registered Republican voter in Pennsylvania. However, federal campaign finance reports show that he donated $15 to a progressive political action committee on the day President Joe Biden was inaugurated.
Public court records in Pennsylvania reveal no previous criminal cases involving Crooks. The FBI released his identity early Sunday morning, as law enforcement had to rely on DNA and other methods to confirm his identity since he was not carrying identification at the time of the incident. An AR-style rifle was recovered at the scene, according to an anonymous source familiar with the ongoing investigation.
An analysis conducted by The Associated Press, using videos, photos, and satellite imagery, indicates that the shooter was able to approach the stage where Trump was speaking. A video posted on social media, geolocated by the AP, shows the body of an individual wearing gray camouflage lying motionless on the roof of AGR International Inc., a manufacturing plant near the rally grounds. The roof where the person was found is less than 150 meters away from where Trump was delivering his speech, a distance within the range of a skilled marksman.
Investigators believe that the weapon used in the attack was purchased by Thomas Crooks’ father at least six months ago. Federal agents are still working to determine how and when Crooks obtained the gun. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, were not authorized to publicly discuss the details of the investigation.
