Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, has been identified as the suspected shooter who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally this weekend.
Secret Service snipers killed Crooks on Saturday when he fired several shots from a nearby rooftop during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
As authorities try to understand his motive, here’s what we know about the alleged gunman:
‘Calm’
Crooks’ former classmates described him as a “quiet” student who was often “a loner,” ABC News reported.
According to ABC, though he seemed “socially shy,” a former classmate of his doesn’t recall ever hearing him discuss politics or Trump.
Trump, 78, was hit on his ear at the rally. One spectator was killed and two spectators were seriously injured in the worst incident of political violence in the US in decades.
Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school as Crooks, said the alleged shooter was often bullied.
“He was quiet, but he was bullied. He was bullied a lot,” Kohler told reporters.
He said Crooks was ridiculed for his attire, and added that he sometimes wore hunting gear.
No military ties
After the shooting, investigators found a “suspicious device” in Crooks’ car, which was examined and is being analyzed by bomb technicians.
He said the explosive devices had been collected as evidence.
Officers are now searching Crooks’ phone.
Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, told reporters Sunday that the gun used in the shooting was an AR-style semiautomatic rifle that was legally purchased.
Investigators believe the weapon used was purchased by Crooks’ father, but it’s unclear how he came to possess the weapon.
Rojek said there have been no indications of any mental health issues so far.
According to Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder, Crooks had no affiliation with any military organization.
The FBI told reporters they were investigating the incident as an attempted murder and a possible domestic terrorist act.
Worked alone
According to the FBI, the shooter is believed to have acted alone, and authorities said they have not identified his motive.
His political leanings were not immediately clear.
News reports showed that he was a registered Republican, but also said he had previously given money to a Democratic-affiliated progressive political action committee.
While social media platform Discord said it had identified an account that appeared to be linked to the suspect, it was “rarely used.”
The spokesperson said “We have found no evidence that it was used to plan the event, promote violence, or discuss political views.”
The suspect’s father, Matthew Crooks, previously told CNN he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” before speaking out about his son.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
