
The guy who attempted to kill former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday has been recognized by law police.
According to the FBI, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania resident Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, is the shooter, who has since been identified as deceased. It was unclear what the motivation was.
Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, claimed that the gunman was “neutralized” right away.
Based on what was discovered at the site, three senior U.S. law enforcement authorities claimed that Crooks used a semiautomatic weapon. Two top law enforcement officials said that investigators are investigating whether the rifle used by the shooter belongs to his father and was lawfully purchased.
Situated in the southern region of Pittsburgh, Bethel Park is a comparatively well-off city with a largely white population. Butler, the rally’s location, is approximately one hour’s drive north of Pittsburgh.
In 2022, Crooks received his diploma from Bethel Park High School. According to a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article, he was one of more than a dozen students who were honored with a National Math & Science Initiative Star Award that year.
According to Jason Kohler, a 21-year-old classmate, Crooks was a “loner” who endured a lot of bullying during his high school years.
Crooks was teased for his attire since he would frequently dress in hunting gear. Kohler said, “He sat alone at lunch a lot.”
Michael Dudjak, 20, spent the majority of his school years with Crooks and remembered him as a quiet and introverted classmate. Although Dudjak did not witness or hear Crooks being deliberately harassed by his peers, he did characterize Crooks as being “on his own a lot.”
He couldn’t remember Crooks ever being particularly active on social media or vocal about politics. When he found out that Crooks was the gunman on Saturday night, Dudjak was with a few buddies and high school acquaintances.
According to Dudjak, they were all “in shock” and “couldn’t fathom” the news.
“It’s horrifying that someone you went to school with could do something so horrible. When it first came to mind, that was the most absurd thing about it,” Dudjak stated. “Two years ago, you and this individual were in the same class.”
A resident of Crooks Street expressed his horror upon learning that one of his neighbors was behind the attempted murder. “It’s completely insane,” the man, Andrew Blanco, 39, exclaimed.
Although Blanco claims that most of the neighbors are kind, he seldom ever saw or conversed with anyone at Crooks’ house.
Blanco remarked, “They’re not even outside, so I don’t know anything about them.”
The gunman’s Bethel Park residence is located across the street from Dan Grzybek’s Democratic residence in Allegheny County. Grzybek stated that the neighbors found it hard to believe the gunman resided in their neighborhood.
Grzybek told NBC News, “Nobody ever imagines that a resident of their own neighborhood would take such an extreme measure.”
Grzybek claimed that when door-knocking in the neighborhood last autumn to campaign for his county council position, he ran across Crooks’ parents. Grzybek said he had a “very pleasant conversation” with Crooks’ parents when speaking at the family’s front door.
Grzybek stated that he hadn’t encountered the gunman before. According to Grzybek, it was a “very typical voter conversation.”
Crooks had no connection to the US military, according to confirmation from the Pentagon.
A Thomas Matthew Crooks with the same birthdate and address was listed in Pennsylvania voter records as a registered Republican. However, records from the Federal Election Commission seem to indicate that on inauguration day in 2021, Crooks contributed $15 to a liberal PAC.
State police Lt. Col. George Bivens stated during a press conference on Saturday night that authorities were getting close to positively identifying the gunman, who was not carrying any identification.
He declared, “There is a tentative identity for the gunman.” “We need to perform biometric verifications.”