US security agencies have identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the suspect in the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally.
Who Was Matthew Crooks?
The FBI named 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as “the subject involved.” He was shot dead by the Secret Service.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Thomas Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School.
A video surfaced on the internet showing a “far-left activist” who allegedly tricked the media into reporting that he was Thomas Crooks.
US security agencies have identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the suspect in the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally.
Crookks was shot and killed by the US Secret Service seconds after he allegedly fired shots toward a stage where Trump was speaking in Butler. The FBI said it was working to determine a motive for the attack, in which one rally attendee died and two other spectators were critically injured. Trump was shot in the ear.
Who Was Matthew Crooks?
State voter records show that Crooks was a registered Republican, according to several US media reports. The FBI named 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as “the subject involved.” He was shot dead by the Secret Service. He was a registered Republican, according to state voter records.
The upcoming November 5 election would have been the first time Crooks had been old enough to vote in a presidential race. Crooks lived about an hour away from where the shooting took place in Butler. The Federal Aviation Administration said that it closed the airspace over Bethel Park for “special security reasons.”
When Crooks was 17 he made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians, according to a 2021 Federal Election Commission filing. According to Reuters, the donation was earmarked for the Progressive Turnout Project, a national group that rallies Democrats to vote.
Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN that he was trying to figure out what happened and would wait until he spoke to law enforcement before speaking about his son. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Thomas Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School. He received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to the newspaper.
‘Far-left activist’
US law enforcement officials said on Saturday that Crooks carried no identification to the site of the shooting and had to be identified using other methods. USA Today reported that dozens of law enforcement vehicles were stationed outside a residence listed at the address on Crooks’ voter registration record. A video surfaced on the internet showing a “far-left activist” who allegedly tricked the media into reporting that he was Thomas Crooks.
BREAKING: VIDEO SURFACES OF FAR-LEFT ACTIVIST WHO ALLEGEDLY TRICKED THE MEDIA INTO REPORTING HE WAS TRUMP SHOOTER THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/L57Uihwb9s— Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) July 14, 2024
What Happened in Pennsylvania
On Saturday, gunfire erupted in the midst of Trump’s speech, prompting him to cover his right ear before Secret Service agents tackled him to the ground. Moments later, Trump stood up, instructed his security detail to “wait,” and raised his fist, urging the shaken crowd to “fight.” A senior law enforcement source told The Post, “He came within inches of having his face shot open.”
At least one attendee was killed, and two others were critically injured, the Secret Service reported. Bystander footage from the aftermath shows what appears to be a deceased man in light-colored military fatigues on a rooftop near the rally stage. Several Trump supporters outside the event told BBC News they saw a suspicious person “bear crawling” up the roof of a nearby building before the shooting began.
One witness claimed his group tried to alert nearby police but felt their warnings were not heeded in time. The witness described the shooter as being in position for “3-4 minutes” before the shots were fired. He also reported seeing the Secret Service’s fatal response, stating, “They blew his head off.” US law enforcement officials said they had no reason to believe the threat was ongoing. “We have no reason to believe that there is any other existing threat out there,” Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens told reporters.
(With agency inputs)
