Spectator and suspect, named as Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed in shooting at Pennsylvania rally
Trump shooting: as it happenedShooter named as Thomas Matthew CrooksWhat we know so far
The suspected attempted assassination of Donald Trump during a Republican campaign rally on Saturday in Pennsylvania immediately made headlines across the US and internationally.
In the US itself, the New York Times website led with “Trump is safe after assassination attempt at political rally”, showing footage from the rally’s live broadcast of the moment the former president was hit on stage and then bundled into a car by secret service agents.
Crooks lived about an hour away from where the shooting took place in Butler. It is not yet clear what his motivation was. He was a registered Republican, but has no known criminal record, according to a data search.
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. The donation was earmarked for the Progressive Turnout Project, a national group that rallies Democrats to vote, Reuters reported.
Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to the newspaper.
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.
“We’re looking at photographs right now and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation,” Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge, said during a press briefing.
USA Today reported that dozens of law enforcement vehicles were stationed outside a residence listed at the address on Crooks’ voter registration record. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were reportedly on the scene and a bomb squad was at the residence.
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.