The FBI has identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in Saturday’s attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. According to reports, Crooks was shot and killed by the Secret Service mere seconds after allegedly firing shots toward the stage where Trump was addressing the crowd.
“We’re looking at photographs right now and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation,”” said Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge, during a press briefing following the incident.
The attack resulted in the tragic death of one rally attendee, while two others sustained critical injuries. Trump himself was reportedly grazed by a bullet in the ear during the incident.
Crooks, a registered Republican according to state voter records, lived approximately an hour away from the rally site. His background revealed that he had recently graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, where he had received a notable academic award from the National Math and Science Initiative.
Law enforcement officials indicated that Crooks had no identification on him at the time of the shooting, requiring alternative methods for identification. The Federal Aviation Administration subsequently closed airspace over Bethel Park for “special security reasons.”
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Records show that at the age of 17, Crooks made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee supporting left-leaning and Democratic causes, specifically earmarked for the Progressive Turnout Project. Neither ActBlue nor the Progressive Turnout Project responded immediately to requests for comment from Reuters.
Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, expressed shock and indicated he was awaiting more information from law enforcement before making further statements.
In response to the incident, law enforcement presence intensified around the residence listed on Crooks’ voter registration record. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with a bomb squad, were reported at the scene. Yellow police caution tape surrounded the perimeter of the residence, with heightened security measures in place.
“It’s insanity that anyone would do this,” remarked Dan Maloney, a local resident, in an interview with USA Today.
Efforts to verify Crooks’ social media presence or online activity have yielded no immediate results. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, did not respond immediately to queries regarding any accounts linked to the suspect.
