Author: Carter L. McLellan – Date: May 28, 2025 – Updated: November 22, 2025

Contents

1. Introduction
2. The story of Thomas Crooks
3. The Aftermath
4. Important Questions
5. Notes

Introduction

On Saturday evening, July 13, 2024, I was relaxing at my apartment when I got an unexpected phone call from my grandmother. “Are you watching the news?” she said. I had not, so she informed me that Trump had been shot, but miraculously a bullet had only grazed his right ear. The news was shocking and I was glued to the unfolding event for the rest of the day.

I’d been studying the JFK assassination that entire year and never expected to witness one in my lifetime. Yet, it was totally unsurprising that someone would attempt to kill Donald Trump. What was surprising was the fact that the shooter had even managed to get a shot off.

The event has stuck with me ever since, especially after Trump won the 2024 Presidential election for a second term. Our country came within inches of a totally different outcome. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.

I put together this article primarily in November 2024. Sources were difficult to gather actually and information in general seemed hard to come by. So here is my small contribution to the story of the closest assassination attempt on Trump to date.

A good deal of information has come out by December, but I’ve not had the time to review all of it. I will be updating this article as I obtain new information.

The story of Thomas Crooks

On September 20, 2003, Thomas Matthew Crooks was born in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. His parents were Matthew Brian Crooks (1971-) and Mary Elizabeth Frizzi Crooks (1971?-), who both registered in Pennsylvania as professional counselors, licensed behavioral therapist specializing in rehabilitation, or social workers, since 2002. He had an uncle named Mark Crooks, who lived north of Pittsburgh. Crooks’ paternal grandfather was a barber, and his paternal grandmother was an accountant. His maternal grandfather was a Vietnam veteran who served in the Army, was Catholic, and a member of the American Legion. (1) Crooks had an older sister, Katherine “Katie” Crooks, who was probably born in 2002. (2)

Details about the Crooks family and the earliest years of Thomas Crooks are incredibly thin, at this point. The only known residence of the Crooks family I am aware of is 2506 Milford Drive, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, USA. Crooks parents bought the house in July 1998. The family has been described as kept to themselves and rarely had visitors. (3)

George W. Bush was President, it was the Post-9/11 era and the internet was rapidly proliferating. Politically wise, the Crooks family has been described as mixed. Matthew Crooks, who was known to have last worked at Community Care Behavior Health of UPFC Health Care Plan, was reportedly registered as a Libertarian. However, Mary Crooks was reportedly registered as a Democrat. It would later be reported that both Katie and Thomas Crooks were registered as Republicans. It has also been reported that Katie was actually registered as a Libertarian, like their father. (4)

Early Education

Early school photo of Crooks. (5)

Crooks was raised in Bethel Park, south of Pittsburgh, PA. He would have attended Abraham Lincoln Elementary School from 2009 to 2014, grades K-4, ages 5 to 11. He was known to have been a smart kid. Crooks’ maternal grandfather died in 2010. One of Crooks’ earliest friends was Tristan Radcliffe, who went to the same elementary school, but gradually drifted apart. (6) Barack Obama became President in 2009 to 2017, succeeding President George W. Bush (2001-2009), winning re-election in 2013.

In 2013, Matthew Crooks purchased and registered a DPMS A-15 5.56 rifle in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Crooks was around 10 years old, in around fourth grade. The Crooks home was said to have had a number of firearms. (7)

He attended Neil Armstrong Middle School between 2015 to 2016, grades 5-6, then Independence Middle School from 2017 to 2018, grades 7-8, both from the ages 11 to 14. One classmate since 5th grade was Sean Eckert, who recalled that Crooks went by “Tom”, fairly smart, rarely spoke up, did not seem to have many friends and recalled that he wore hunting clothes. Another classmate, Brayden Denson, who shared a woodshop class with Crooks and attended Bethel Park schools since sixth grade, recalled Crooks seemed smart and did have friends. One classmate, Vincent Taormina, a classmate from 7th to 9th grade, recalled a 2018 incident in which Crook criticized him for being a Hispanic Trump supporter. Donald Trump had won the election and was President from 2016 to 2020, succeeding Obama. It was likely in 2016, when Crooks was around 13 years old, in about 7th grade, that he first heard about Donald Trump, who won PA in the election. Crooks parents were profiled by the 2016 Trump campaign as likely receptivity to a pro-gun/2nd amendment message. (8) Around 2017, Matthew Crooks and Thomas reportedly built their own computer together. Crooks had interest in computer programming. (9)

Crooks began attending Bethel Park High School, between 2018-2022, ages 14 to 18. Most character witnesses to Crooks came from his years here. One of the earliest indications of Crooks’ state of mind dates back to September 2019 and on, when Crooks began conducting multiple online searches about improvised explosive devices. (10) The Covid-19 Pandemic began in November 2019. Trump held a rally at the Butler Airport on October 31, 2020. (11) He lost the election to Joe Biden in November 2020 and the January 6 Capital riot occurred in 2021. In high school, Crooks was described by classmates as kept to himself and quiet. Often described as isolated. He liked to play chess and video games, reportedly, and was also interested in programming. (12) He was said by some students to have been the target of bullying, for wearing camo/hunting outfits, or wearing a Covid surgical mask. However, some students and the school downplayed the bullying. However, others including the school district have contradicted these claims. (13)

In an apparent pattern, around 2019, Crooks reportedly tried out for school shooting team but was rejected allegedly for poor aim or handling. Supposedly was noted for making inappropriate and crass jokes allegedly by coach. The school district did not support these claims, stating an absence of supporting records. (14) In any case, this is noteworthy for potential evidence of Crooks being interest in guns for at least several years.

Contradictory reports have emerged around this period about possible social media activity of Crooks. This is particularly interesting as it foreshadows the confusion around the political beliefs of Crooks. Around ages 14 to 15, in 2019 to 2020, an alleged suspected social media account of Crooks posted over 700 comments, some of which were anti-Semitic, anti-immigration themes, political violence and extreme in nature. However, in September 2019, a Gab account named “epicMicrowave” was created. Some seemingly suspect it belonged to Crooks. The account was supposedly pro-Biden, pro-open borders, pro-Biden border policy, pro-lockdown, left wing Joe Biden supporter. However, classmates of Crooks recalled him as being consistently conservative. (15)

Around February 2020, a recording in a video recounting a joke apparently at Steel Center for Career and Technical Education in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania. Crooks is about 17, in 10th grade. (16) Might seemingly corroborate the rumor of joking behavior when supposedly applying for the shooting team in 2019. Allegedly Thomas had made a threat to shoot up the school and place bombs in the bathroom, but this allegation was also contradicted by the school district. One of his teachers here for computer technology was Xavier Harmon, who recalled that Crooks was quirky, funny and excelled in class. A younger classmate in the computer class, Madison Rudolph, recalled Crooks had a small group of outcast friends with “strange hobbies” and that Crooks wore a Covid mask long after the mandates were lifted. One of Crooks’ classmates, Sarah D’Angelo, recalled that one of their final projects in a honors history class during their sophomore year was a study of the JFK assassination, in which they had to come up with a theory of what happened. (17) Not much information is available for the rest of 2020, but it has been claimed this “something shifted” in Crooks, as he reportedly failed to appear for his yearbook photos. (18) On October 31, 2020, President Trump held a campaign rally at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport. (19)

Trump lost the election in November in 2020, and January 6, 2021, Capital riot took place. Crooks was around 17 years old in 11th grade. Fourteen days later, on January 20, 2021, Crooks allegedly donated $15 through ActBlue to Progressive Turnout Project. This was the day Joe Biden was sworn into office as President. Crooks had apparently made the donation in response to an e-mail about “tuning into” the inauguration. (20) The suspected Crooks Gab account made 9 posts from January 20 to February 4, 2021. The account was supposedly pro-Biden, pro-open borders, pro-Biden border policy, pro-lockdown, overall a left wing Joe Biden supporter. Certainly seemingly lines up with the small donation. While in 11th grade, in 2021, Crooks joined the National Technical Honor Society. Around that period, Crooks had also helped his sister Katie move out of the house. (21)

After Crooks turned 18 on September 2021, he registered to vote as a Republican. His sister had also reportedly been registered to vote as a Republican. Crooks was registered as a Republican for Allegheny County, Bethel Park Precinct 08 01. 12th Congressional District, 47th Senatorial District, 40th Legislative District. He unsubscribed from the Progressive Turnout email list in 2022. He wrote an essay for his English class about George Orwell’s ‘Shooting an Elephant.’ (22) Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High around June 2022.

Strangely, Thomas Crooks appeared in a BlackRock commercial filmed at Bethel Park High School in 2022 to 2023 period. The ad was part of a series aimed at teachers managing their retirement assets, in a classroom led by a real teacher, Brian DeLallo, AP and Honors economics teacher, and which featured real students, who were unpaid. (23) Crooks had also been awarded a $500 “Star Award” by the National Math and Science Initiative, in June 2022 around when he graduated. (24)

Higher Education

After graduating from Bethel Park High, Crooks was admitted to the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), from September 2021 to May 16, 2024. One classmate here was Samuel Strotman, who recalled being in Zoom calls with Crooks, who never turned on his camera. His academic advisor at CCAC was Todd Landree, who recalled being smart and impressed by one of his assignments to design 3-D printed chess for blind people. (25) In November 2022, Crooks voted in the mid-term election as a Republican. (26) At CCAC, Crooks had paid $95 to join the CCAC South Campus fraternity Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Iota chapter, by 2023 to 2024, but had not been known to other members. (27)

It is in the period between 2023 to 2024 that things seem to get more “strange” in Crook’s life. Between March and May 2023, Crooks began making various firearms related purchases from online firearm vendors using an alias. In April 2023, Crooks wrote in an essay arguing for ranked-choice voting, he lamented “divisive and incendiary campaigns which are pulling the country apart. … As we move closer to the 2024 elections we should consider carefully the means by which we elect our officials,” Mr. Crooks wrote. “We need an election system that promotes kindness and cooperation instead of division and anger.”As a side note, on June 26, 2023, allegedly someone who regularly visited the Crooks home and and later work visited a building on Gallery Hall, in Washington, DC. (28) Since July 2023, Crooks had been using encrypted messaging apps, VPNs and Tor to browse the internet. (29)

A device began pinging at Crooks home and at his place of work, Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation (owned by Genesis HealthCare), since July 2023 into July 2024. Crooks worked here as a dietary aide. At his place of work, he was known as a good worker and helped with food. (30)

From August 10, 2023 to July 2024, Crooks had been a member with his father of a local gun club, the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club. He visited on up to 47 occasions, visiting both rifle and pistol ranges. (31) A device allegedly linked to Crooks visited an Allegheny Arms on August 30, 2023. (32) Since late September 2023, Crooks began conducting online searches to find out Trump’s campaign schedule in Pennsylvania. (33) In October 2023, Matthew Crooks gifted or sold the AR-15 to his son Thomas Crooks. (34) In December 2023, an alleged “burner phone” linked to Crooks became active. He also had an encounter with an old friend, Tristan Radcliffe, telling him that he was planning to get all of his credits and transfer to Penn State. Radcliffe observed that Crooks couldn’t seem to stay still. On December 6, 2023, Crooks “rapidly cycled through about a dozen news websites, including CNN, The New York Times and Fox News, before visiting the Trump administration’s archives the logs show”, reports NYT, “Minutes later, he visited seven gun websites, including one focused on the AR-15, similar to the rifle he would use in the attack. Later that day, he paid a visit to the shooting range.” (35)

On January 19, 2024, Crooks placed an online order of $101.91 with Hyperfuels using an encrypted email account from a Belgian-based service for two gallons of nitromethane. On January 31, 2024, Crooks emailed the company with his community college email wanting to know why his order hadn’t shipped. (36)

On February 13, 2024, Crooks planned a video call titled “Proofread my Pitt personal essay with friends prior to class.” On February 16, 2024, a couple of hours before a physics class, he visited a series of websites, including an ammunition manufacturer, the Trump campaign site and NBC News, as well as YouTube, Reddit, Spotify and a site for Xbox users. (37) In February 2024, Crooks had been accepted into Pittsburgh University and Robert Morris University. By March, he decided to plan to attend RMU for four years after graduation from CCAC. (38)

On March 1, 2024, a device allegedly linked to Crooks traveled from the Pittsburgh International Airport to Logan International Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts. It then traveled to Plymouth, staying at Hotel 1620 Plymouth Harbor between March 1 to 3, before returning by the same route. The significance of this information, if any, is unknown. (39)

In April 2024, Crooks reportedly searched on his phone for “major depressive disorder” and depressive crisis treatment. (40) Since April and on, Crooks was searching online for campaign events of both Trump and Biden. (41) He was documented at 12:35, April 24, 2024, visiting the rifle range at Clairton. (42)

Crooks, 20, graduated from CCAC on May 16, 2024, with an associates degree in engineering science. (43) In the first half of 2024, Crooks, utilizing aliases and foreign-based encrypted email accounts, received six packages containing chemical precursors, or hazardous material, which he would later use to create improvised explosive devices. He also may have purchased ammo both online and in person. Crooks father claimed that in the month after graduating from CCAC, he saw his son “talking to himself and dancing around his bedroom late at night,” noting that his family had a history of mental health and addiction issues. (44)

On June 22, 2024, Crooks registered for an intermediary handgun-pistol class at Keystone Shooting Center. The other attendee of the class, former USAF veterans Bill Jenkins, observed Crooks to be quiet, nice, and experienced with shooting handguns. He even got into politics at the end, but Crooks remained silent. (45) The 2024 campaign was in full swing, Trump and Biden did a debate just a few days later on June 27.

About three days after the Butler rally was announced, Crooks had made a number of interesting online searches. Among these was information relating to power plants and mass shooting events. He searched for information regarding the attempted assassination of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, which occurs in May 2024. Furthermore, he had reportedly saved images of Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Princess of Wales Kate Middleton. He had also researched the school shooter Ethan Crumbley and his parents. (46)

The assassination plot

On July 2, 2024, the USSS’s Donald Trump Division (DTD) notified the USSS Pittsburgh Office (PIT) by phone call about a potential visit by former President Trump, then leading Republican Presidential candidate, on July 13. The same day, on July 2, the Presidential protective detail notified the Pittsburgh Field Office that FLOTUS would be visiting Pittsburgh on July 13. The visit was confirmed on July 3 by DTD and announced, the site and schedule were not determined, but PIT Senior Special Agent was assigned to the Lead Advance for the visit. The rally site was confirmed on July 4, after Trump’s campaign had to find an alternative venue because the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport was having an event on July 13, as the Butler Farm Show, in Connoquenessing Township, Butler, PA. On July 4, 2024, according to a Heritage Foundation investigation, a device allegedly linked to Crooks travelled to Butler, PA, and remained there for about 20 minutes. On July 4, Crooks conducted internet searches for details relating to Trump’s campaign events. On July 5, Crooks conducted internet searches for “When is the DNC convention and “When is the RNC in 2024.” He also searched for information about the Butler Farm Show and a nearby hospital.

On Saturday, July 6, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks made a Google search on his laptop for “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy,” “Where will Trump speak from at Butler Farm Show,” “Butler Farm Show podium,” and “Butler Farm Show photos.” He also registered to attend the rally. On Sunday, July 7, 2024, Crooks traveled to the Butler Farm Show, where he conducted a brief walkthrough near the exterior fence line before departing to examine the nearby AGR complex, between 9:48 am and 10:45 am. On July 8, Crooks searched “ballistic calculator” and “AGR International”, the building where he eventually would take a firing position, five days later. Meanwhile, he continued attending his place of work, as security arrangements were being made in the following days. On July 10, Crooks searched for “weather in Butler,” and purchased a SwissGear backpack from a store in Bethel Park.

On July 12, a device allegedly linked to Crooks’ work ceased activity. At 2:45pm, Crooks went to a firing range at Clairton Sportsman’s Club to practice shooting, likely with the rifle. Meanwhile, the FBI arrests Asif Merchant, a Pakistani with ties to Iran, charged with plotting assassinations, including of Trump. First Lady Jill Biden arrives at Pittsburgh International Airport Friday, evening , on July 12.

July 13, 2024

In the morning of Saturday, July 13, 2024, Crooks searched up the for a location and photos of the Butler Farm Show and for a local gun store. One of his last searched was reportedly for pornography. He told his work place that he had something to do and needed to take off that day. Between 9:27 to 9:42am, Crooks apparently entered a nearby Home Depot and bought a 5 foot ladder. Driving a Hyundai Sonata, he traveled north to Butler. He spent around 70 minutes there, with cellphone data indicating he was present at the Butler Farm Show grounds between 10:58 am and 11:50 am. He then drove back home to Bethel Park. At 1:30 pm, Crooks obtained the rifle at his house. At 1:45, Crooks told his dad that he’d be going with the rifle to the gun range, but left to returned to Butler. At 1:54, Crooks purchased 50 rounds of Hornady .223 Remington full metal jack ammunition at from Allegheny Arms and Gun Works in Bethel Park, before proceeding back to Butler.

Crooks was in the vicinity of the Butler Farm Show staging location by 3:37 pm. At this point he has his phone, a Samsung Android, a drone, IED explosives with a detonator, a rangefinder and a rifle with cartridges, as well as a backpack. At 3:48pm to 4:00pm, far to the east side of Pennsylvania, Vice President Kamala Harris began her speech at the Philadelphia Convention Center. At around 3:51 pm to 4:02 pm, Crooks flew the drone about 200 yards from the Farm Show grounds for about 11 minutes, viewing live footage from his controller.

???? Around 3:00pm, Crooks was flagged as he entered the rally and passed the magnetometers with a rangefinder. He is allowed to enter. Authorities kept close eye on him until he departed the area. He was at some point spotted walking around the rally.

At 4:26pm, a Beaver County ESU counter sniper going on break from the AGR building texted colleague about a suspicious person, “Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars just so you know”, the sniper says, “I’m just letting you know because you see me go out with my rifle and put it in my car so he knows you guys are up there sitting to the direct right on a picnic table and 50 yards from the exit.” However, FBI has stated that while witness interviews indicated that Crooks was possibly in the AGR area at 4:26 pm, “Subsequent digital evidence review shows the subject was in fact near the farm show air strip, walking past a row of vendors outside the secure perimeter approximately a half mile away from the AGR grounds at 4:26 p.m.”

At 5:00pm to 5:20, First Lady Jill Biden gave remarks at an Italian Sons and Daughters of America Dinner, in Pittsburgh. At 5:06pm, Crooks is seen and filmed walking around the AGR building outside the secure perimeter of the rally. At 5:10 pm, AGR Sniper 1 of Beaver County, who was posted in a window, first saw Crooks nearby the AGR building. Suspicious of this individual, the Sniper took a photograph of Crooks at 5:14 pm.

Law enforcement take the first photos of Crooks outside the AGR building around 5:10pm. He is observed with a rangefinder. At 5:32pm, Crooks is observed by state or local law enforcement browsing news on cell phone and in possession of a rangefinder.

At 5:32 pm, AGR Sniper 1 observed Crooks looking at news feeds on his phone and using a rangefinder, nearby the AGR building. At 5:38pm, two photos of Crooks are shared by AGR Sniper 1 in a local law enforcement group chat to all snipers. “Kid [lurking] around the building we are in. AGR I believe it is. I did see him with a range finder looking towards the stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.” Someone responds, “Call it in to command and have a uniform check it out.” Photos eventually made there way to SS through steps at command center, but Trump’s detail claimed not to have been informed that local police was tracking a suspicious individual. An AGR Sniper went downstairs to the exit in an attempt to keep track of Crooks.

At 5:42 pm, AGR Sniper 1 radioed on the local ESU channel, “Just an FYI, we had a younger white male long hair lurking around the AGR building. He was viewed with a rangefinder sighting the stage. He was up against the building; believe he was looking up at us and he walked around the side of the building. We lost sight of him. Also there’s a bike with a large backpack sitting beside it, it’s parked in the rear of the building that wasn’t there earlier.” At 5:43 pm, the Butler ESU Commander responded to the 5:42 radio call, “Copy. We will send somebody to check it.” The first confirmed communication to the secret service about Crooks occurred at 5:44 pm, when the Butler ESU Commander called a PSP Sergeant, stationed in the USSS Security Room and was the primary point-of-contact and liaison.

At 5:45 pm, the Butler ESU Commander radioed on the local ESU channel, “PSP and Sheriffs should be en route. If you [get] a visual let me know.” The Butler County Sheriff’s Deputy then radioed on the Sheriff’s Office radio channel, “[b]e on the lookout for a white male, young white male, blonde hair with a backpack, might be on the AGR side fence line.” The Butler ESU Local Sniper Team Lead texted the USSS Counter Sniper Team Leader in the Hercules 1 position on top the southern barn behind the stage: “At AGR…Sending uniformed office[r] to check him out. …” along with the message and two photos of Crooks. Hercules 1 then contacted Hercules 2, who were on top of the northern barn behind the stage. The USSS Protective Intelligence agent called the USSS Counter Sniper Team Leader that she was looking into the suspicious person report.

At 5:47 pm, the PSP Trooper called two undercover PSP Troopers stationed at the Sheetz gas station and gave them a description of the suspicious person and told them to go to the AGR building to look for him. Around 5:48 pm, the Butler ESU Commander texted the PSP Sergeant and again provided a description of the suspicious individual and attached the two photographs of Crooks. The PSP Sergeant shared that information with the USSS C-UAS Advance Agent who was co-located with him in the USSS Security Room.

At 5:51pm, local law enforcement informs SS that Crooks had a range finder. At 5:54 pm to 5:55 pm, the Butler ESU Commander sent a radio transmission on the local officers’ radio channel with a description of Crooks and noted that he “was near the AGR building on foot, with believed to be a rangefinder, headed towards the stage, Our units lost visual of him. I believe you guys are outside of that fence if you come upon him.” A local officcer replied, “Copy there is a PSP unit by the water tower, and I sent [a local officer] over there and he didn’t […] see him.” At 5:55pm, Secret Service was allegedly warned of a suspicious person, apparently identified him as a “threat”.

At 6:00pm, Crooks appeared to have “moved away from event”, with a police officer guessing Crooks had went to the back of the AGR building. At 6:02 pm, the Beaver County ESU counter sniper 1 in AGR radioed on the local ESU channel, “Alright subject is in between the AGR buildings. He’s got a backpack now. He just went toward Sheetz.” It was around this time that Trump had arrived to the venue.

Between 6:03 to 6:05pm, Trump was allowed to take the stage. Crooks reportedly had taken a screenshot on his phone from a livestream of the rally. Meanwhile, the Butler ESU Commander relayed the latest information via phone call to the PSP Sergeant, who unable to radio the PSP Trooper at Post 5 called the PSP Trooper, telling him “[t]hat guy’s back. He’s walking between buildings. He’s headed towards the Sheetz.” At 6:04 pm, the PSP Trooper then sent the two undercover Troopers to photographs of Crooks. The Butler County Sheriff’s Deputy then radioed on the Sheriff’s Office radio channel that the suspicious person “is headed towards Sheetz.”

At about 6:05 pm, Crooks used an air conditioning unit on the north end of the AGR complex to climb on top of a roof. He then moved southward across the connected AGR buildings’ roofs with the backpack. A local business, police dash cam, and police body cameras captured Crooks’ movements on top of the AGR building roofs between 6:05 pm and 6:08 pm.

At around 6:06 to 6:10 pm, Beaver County ESU Counter Sniper 1 went downstairs to the AGR exit to meet the law enforcement officers responding to the suspicious person, in order to let them know the suspect was around the building on the side of the fairgrounds. One Butler Township Police Department car and a PSP car came into the parking lot on the east side of AGR, as officers surrounded the building. A sniper in the Hercules 2 position saw the two cars pull in and one get out in a haste. He then radioed on a USSS channel, “locals are working something at the three o’clock, approximately 200 yards out.”

It was at 6:08 pm, that a Butler Township PD officer radioed on the local officers’ radio channel. “[s]omeone’s on the roof. … I have someone on the roof with white shorts.” The Butler ESU Commander replied to confirm that the individual on the roof was not local law enforcement. At 6:09 pm, the Butler Township police officer radioed, “we got him, we don’t have him in custody yet, but he’s right straight in front of me by the pine tree standing upwards. He has a backpack.” The officer then radioed that they “Lost sight of him. [PSP] Trooper was chasing him, trying to follow him around the building.” The Butler ESU Commander called the PSP Sergeant to notify him that the suspicious person they had been looking for was on the AGR roof. The PSP Sergeant relayed that information to the Secret Service.

At 6:10 pm, USSS counter snipers Hercules 2 repositioned themselves to face toward the AGR building. At around the same time, a Butler County Sheriff’s Deputy radioed on the Sheriff’s Office radio channel, “State Police and [Butler Township PD] units have AGR surrounded. They are looking for him.”

At 6:11 pm, a Butler Township PD officer was lifted up to the roof by another officer, spotting Crooks about 5 to 6 feet away with “his gun pointed at me.” The officer stated, “I thought I was fucked because all he had to do was pull the trigger. … So, my hands came off and I went back down onto the concrete.” The officer then radioed on the local officer’s radio channel, “he’s armed! I saw him, he’s laying down! … He’s got a long gun!” A Sheriff’s Deputy confirmed the individual is armed and relayed on the Sheriff’s radio channel that other law enforcement had indicated he “had a long gun.” A member of Trump’s USSS protective detail contacted their Pittsburgh Field Office counterpart to inquire about the radio update that there was an issue the local law enforcement was looking into near the perimeter. Uniformed officers were seen running with their hands on their weapons and rally attendees were seen running away from the AGR building.

Nearby audience were shouting that there’s a man on a roof with a gun, desperate to alert authorities. At 6:11pm, Crooks fired an initial volley of three shots at Trump, followed by five more shots. The first bullet grazed Trump’s right ear, one attendee was fatally struck in the head and two others in the stands were hit. Immediately after Crooks fired the eighth shot, a ninth shot was fired at Crooks from a Butler ESU officer on the ground, between the stands and AGR building apparently striking the butt stock of Crook’s rifle. Crooks went down slumping to his right, and slowly came back up. A few moments later, a final tenth shot was fired by USSS Hercules 1 counter sniper on the southern barn, fatally striking Crooks in the head. Tragically, an audience member, Cory Comperatore, 50, had been mortally shot in head and two others in the stands, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were severely wounded by Crooks.

The aftermath

At 6:12 pm, a Butler ESU sniper in the AGR building radioed on the local ESU channel, “Shooter is down, shooter is down.” A Butler County SHeriff’s Deputy radioed on the Sheriff’s Office radio channel, “shooter is down, shooter is down.” A USSS Counterassult agent also heard a USSS agent on Trump’s detail say “the shooter is down.”

Trump was escorted off the stage at 6:12pm, iconically pumping his fist and shouting “fight, fight, fight!” He arrived at the Butler Memorial Hospital at 6:14pm. Crooks was pronounced dead be a Beaver ESU medic at 6:25 pm. Reactions began flooding in, as this was probably the biggest news story around the world. Trump made a Truth Social post at 8:42pm. Crooks father called 911 shortly before 11:00pm. A search was conducted around Crooks’ home at 11:00pm. Trump left Pittsburgh International Airport at 11:21pm. ATF agents approached the house at 11:40pm, in which over a dozen firearms were found. NYT described the search:

“They entered and noticed Mary Crooks sitting with the family cat in the living room, television on. The agents swept the house for potential dangers.

Down a short hallway was the young Mr. Crooks’s bedroom, door open. The room was fairly organized, with a made bed and large 3-D printer. An empty pistol belt and holster lay on the floor.

At the room’s threshold, an agent looked down and saw a .50-caliber, military-grade ammunition can “with a white wire coming out,” according to the testimony. The agent also observed a gallon jug labeled “nitromethane” in the closet.

The agents immediately evacuated. While they waited for the bomb squad, they interviewed Mr. and Ms. Crooks outside late into the night, asking about their family and what made their son “tick.””

At 1:20am, July 14, 2024, the FBI publicly released the identity of the assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks. They had located two explosive devices in his car, a Hyundai Sonata, as well as one at his home. The FBI accessed Crooks’ email accounts, but they were unable to identify any clear motive or political ideology. Meanwhile, Trump made his way to the RNC in Milwaukee. About 9:00am, potentially is when Crooks’ body was transported from the crime scene to a local Butler hospital. He would later be transported to the Allegheny County Coroner for a complete autopsy, then taken back to the Butler County Morgue, however, the coroner lost custody of the body at least temporarily.

This news story huge, to say the least. Biden addressed the nation on July 14, calling for a cooldown of rhetoric. Information about Crooks started coming out as well. On July 15, the FBI released that Crooks had images of school shooter Ethan Crumbly’s father James. Trump also made an iconic appearance at the RNC that day. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee members Senator Rand Paul and Senator Garry Peters announced an investigation into security failures addressing Secretary Mayorkas and FBI Director Wray. Also, the YouTube channel DemolitionRanch posted a video address the fact that Crooks was wearing a DemolitionRanch t-shirt.

By July 16, the Butler Farm Show and AGR crime scene was released. The FBI also had biological material cleaned up. Meanwhile, Crooks’ parents hire a high powered law firm, Quinn Logue. Biden has a health scare on the campaign trail in Nevada and tests positive for Covid-19 on July 17, he returns to Delaware. It is reported that the FBI was reviewing the contents on Crooks electronic devices on July 18. Trump gave the longest acceptance speech in history the same day.

Corey Comperatore’s funeral was held in Cabot, PA, on July 19. Meanwhile, Democrats start calling for Biden to drop out of the Presidential race. Another apparently noteworthy event the same day, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee died from cancer, she had apparently been involved with USSS. On July 20, Biden insists that he won’t step down from the race. On July 21, Biden’s campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond on Face the Nation claims that Biden isn’t stepping out. But Biden announces he is stepping aside and Kamala Harris becomes presumptive nominee. DHS Secretary Mayorkas also organized a panel for independent review of assassination attempt, which which was ordered by President Biden.

On July 22, USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle notoriously testified to Congress, ultimately leading to her resignation. A somewhere strange event occurs on July 23, when Crooks’ body was released to the family, which was soon cremated. The body was released by federal authorities, reportedly without knowledge of Butler County coroner. The family then requested Crooks be cremated at the Bethel Park funeral home and crematorium. Kimberly Cheatle resigned the same day as well. Apparently five USSS agents had been put on restricted duty. By this point tue DHS and Oversight Committee launched investigations into assassination attempt.

On July 24, the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump was established under Resolution 1367 by a vote of 416-0. The Chair became R. Mike Kelly of PA. David Dutch was discharged from the Allegheny General Hospital as well. Also on July 24, the DoJ subpoena-ed the CCAC relating to “an active FBI criminal investigation.” The reason for such an on-going federal grand jury is seemingly unknown, since the only known suspect, Crooks, was dead for 11 days by that point.

On July 25, HSGA members Paul and Peters requested information from USSS, FBI, DHS I&A, Beaver County DA, Butler County DA, Butler County Sheriff, Butler Township Police, Pennsylvania State Police. On July 26, James Copenhaver was discharged from the hospital and Trump announced his intention to return to Butler Farm Show for a second rally.

On July 29, a USSS counter sniper emails entire Uniformed Division criticizing their leadership. Elon Musk claims Google has issues with searching about the Trump assassination attempt, which is acknowledged the following day. On July 30, Acting USSS Director Ronald Rowe testifies to congress about security failures at Butler.

On August 1, Senator Josh Hawley sends email to Rowe about security concerns. As we will see, a very legitimate concern. Harris was officially nominated, on August 2, at DNC as the Democratic President candidate. On August 3, Jack Posobeic performed a site survey at Butler, PA, for his book. It wasn’t until August 5, that the Butler County coroner was made aware that Crooks body was released and disposed.

On August 8, Trump gave an interview to Breitbart News about assassination attempt. Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins unable to examine Crooks body, discovered he was cremated July 23. On August 13, Trump did an interview with Musk on X, where he gave more details about return to Butler rally. On August 14, the Oversight Committee sought information from Google and Meta on potential censorship of Trump assassination attempt. On August 15, Rep. Ranna Paulina Luna posted new photos of Crooks at rally. On August 16, Sen. Paul, Peters, Blumenthal, Johnson request information from FBI about foiled Iran linked assassination plot, addressed to Mayorkas.

On August 21, Rep. Mike Walz told reporters that Crooks used encrypted messaging accounts on platforms located in Belgium, New Zealand, and Germany. The political rhetoric after Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee quickly descended back into the extreme. On August 26, Task Force conducted site survey of Butler Farm Show.

On September 15, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, assassination attempt on Trump foiled at Trump International golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. On September 17, the Task Force requested information from various sources. On September 19, Sen. Josh Hawley claims to have whistleblower from the Secret Service. On September 20, the USSS released a summary of their mission assurance review. On September 25, Sen. Peters, Paul, Blumenthal, Johnson release Bipartisan Report examining USSS security failure at Butler. On September 26, the Task Force held its first public hearing with witnesses from state and local law enforcement agencies and medical examiners. 

Trump returned to the Butler Farm Show for a second rally on October 5, where he was joined by Elon Musk. On October 17, the DHS published it’s independent review panel report. On October 23, the Task Force Interim staff report was published.

On November 1, the Task Force announced a statement on the USSS Mission Assurance Review. On November 5, Donald Trump won the Presidential election. On November 6, the Task Force sent a letter to ATF addressing its failure to produce transcribed interviews and requested documents. They wanted them to respond by November 13, but by November 19, the Task Force subpoenaed two ATF employees for testimony.

On December 5, the Task Force held its final hearing with USSS acting director Rowe regarding the security failures at Butler. On December 10, the Task Force released its final report. “The full record of evidence,” the report indicates, “clearly shows failures in advance planning by the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners in the days before the July 13 campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, and failures in execution on the day of the event itself. The Task Force’s investigation also identified preexisting conditions and leadership failures that set the stage for tragedy.”

On December 13, the Task Force released 46 transcripts from investigation interviews. American First Legal also released the academic records of Crooks. As of February 2025, the Task Force has not released its exhibits. On February 10, 2025, Trump reportedly demanded the Secret Service release all information they obtained regarding both assassinations attempts.

Trump inauguration

SS Director

Jack Posobeic hires Doug Hagmann

Trump state of the union

Assassination attempt report

Doug Mills win Pulitzer Prize

FBI reportedly tells trump Crooks essentially acted alone

Deputy FBI Director Bongino says no evidence of “foreign” plot

FBI Director Patel says they are working to release additional information

CBS obtains a number of emails and other related documents

On June 15, 2025, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a Fox News interview that Iranian proxies had been involved in two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump. It was unclear whether this was a reference to Crooks and Routhe.

June 19, 2025, Fox Nation releases some additional footage from the Butler rally.

July 9, 2025, reports that six USSS agents, ranging from supervisory to line agent roles have been suspended for 10 to 42 days with right to appeal for their conduct on July 13, 2024.

July 11, 2024, CBS released article and documentary

Other films released

July 12, 2025, Senator Chuck Grassley releases report .

July 13, 2025, security room agent singled out as having failed to properly communicate that a suspicious person was being investigated

July 22, 2025, Trump says FBI found nothing “abnormal” about Crooks

November 14, 2025, Tucker Carlson released new information about Crooks including videos https://youtu.be/rXM0lN_zWSE

https://nypost.com/2025/11/17/opinion/fbi-secret-service-butchered-the-thomas-crooks-case-and-invited-conspiracies-we-deserve-the-truth/

https://independentnewsroom.com/p/intel-report-more-on-thomas-crooks-alleged-social-media

November 22, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel reiterates that Crooks acted alone https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exclusive-fbi-concludes-trump-shooter-thomas-crooks-acted-alone-after-unprecedented-global-investigation

Questions

The initial questions I have about this assassination attempt are who was Crooks and why did he do it. The next question is how did the Secret Service let this happen. Finally, was there a conspiracy.

Family

The people most immediately close to Crooks were his family. While they have not been implicated in any way, they have been scrutinized. It is noteworthy that Crooks’ father Matthew and mother Mary were both professional counselors, behavior therapists specialized in rehabilitation. It is quite ironic that their son apparently was suffering from behavioral issues. While his mother was apparently blind, Matthew was last known to have worked at Community Care Behavior Health of UPFC Health Care Plan.

On the political side, Matthew was registered as a Libertarian and Mary was registered as a Democrat. For whatever reason, Thomas and his sister Katie were registered as Republicans, so there may have been some political contradiction in the household. What is perhaps most important, however, is that the Crooks family were gun owners. It was significant enough that the 2016 Trump campaign had flagged the Crooks family as possible voters because of their gun ownership.

Crooks father had bought the rifle, that was later used by Thomas, in 2013. It is also interesting that Thomas’ maternal grandfather was a veteran and member of the American Legion, which has been linked to various events over the decades, from the 1933 Business Plot, to the JFK assassination. The American Legion was also active at Bethel Park High School.

Education

Crooks attended Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, Neil Armstrong Middle School, Independence Middle School, Bethel Park High School, then the Community College of Allegheny County. Crooks was still in elementary school when his father bought the rifle in 2013. By the time he was at Independence MS, he had apparently developed some criticism of Trump. Crooks became interested in computer programming and such by 2017. He attended Bethel Park HS from 2018 to 2022.

Reports indicate that as early at September 2019, Crooks began making multiple searches about improvised explosive devices. He was also said to have tried out for the school’s rifle team. It has also been alleged that from 2019 to 2020 a suspected social media account linked to Crooks posted over 700 comments, some of which were anti-Semitic, anti-immigration themed, espoused political violence and extreme in nature. The specific comments remain to be seen. The Gab platform has alleged that a suspected account of his espoused left wing ideology, but this has not been verified. People who knew him in high school recalled him as conservative. The Covid pandemic occurred right in the middle of his high school years. He also would have studied the JFK assassination his sophomore year.

Some interesting developments occurred during Crooks latter years at Bethel Park High, but will be discussed slightly out of order. He attended the Steel Center for Career and Technical Education, which was nearby the CCAC South Campus, where Crooks would attend after high school. He also was given award by the National Technical Honor Society his senior year. At CCAC he studied engineering, which definitely could be viewed as aligned to his early interest in IEDs.

ActBlue, Progressive Turnout Project, 2021-2022

One of the more interesting things about Crooks involved his January 20, 2021, donation of $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project through ActBlue. Perhaps, despite leaning to the right, had opposed Trump and decided to make a contribution to Biden on his inauguration. But it remains unexplained why Crooks was on the email list for “tuning into” the inauguration. Apparently he had subscribed to the Progressive Turnout Project’s email list in 2021, then unsubscribed in 2022, after he had registered as a Republican in 2021.

BlackRock

2023, encrypted apps

Phi Theta Kappa

Clairton Sportsman Club

Secret Service

Austin Private Wealth

phone data

Notes

1. *) FamilySearch, Thomas Matthew Crooks; *) July 19, 2024, Courtney McGinley for Newsweek, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks’ Parents Were Licensed Social Workers, Records Show’; *) July 14, 2024, Justin Rohrlich for The Independent, ‘‘I don’t know what to say’: Family of Thomas Matthew Crooks struggles to make sense of Trump shooting‘, “Crooks’ parents, Matthew and Mary Crooks, née Frizzi, …”; *) July 14, 2024, Justin Rohrlich for the Independent, ”I don’t know what to say’: Family of Thomas Matthew Crooks struggles to make sense of Trump shooting’, “Reached by phone on Sunday morning, Crooks’ uncle, Mark Crooks, said he was inundated with calls following his nephew’s attempt on Trump’s life, which was, “of course,” a tremendous shock, he told The Independent. He said he had “no idea” what might have motivated the shooting, and is just trying to process the news. “I don’t know what to say,” he conceded. The 68-year-old lives in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles from Crooks’ hometown of Bethel Park, but said he hadn’t had any contact with Crooks “in years.”; *) July 15, 2024, Chris Joyner and Michelle Baruchman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ‘What we know about the gunman who opened fire at the Trump rally‘ (Archive), “Online records indicate that the Crooks and their extended family have long lived in the Pittsburgh area. Thomas Crooks’ paternal grandfather was a barber, and his paternal grandmother was an accountant.”; *) 2010, Beinhauer Family Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, ‘Obituary for John N. Frizzi’ (Archive), “John N. Frizzi [1943-2010] of Scott Twp, age 67, died on Thursday, December 2, 2010. A Professional Engineer for the State of Pennsylvania and a 1965 Graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering. He was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and a member of the Scott Twp American Legion Post #290. He loved his family, especially his grandchildren, camping, hunting and fishing. Husband of Madeleine (Hill); Father of John (Cyndee) Frizzi Jr. of Cecil, Lt. Colonel James (Kristin) Frizzi of Evans, GA, Mary (Matthew) Crooks of Bethel Park and Daniel (Amy) Frizzi of Greentree; Grandfather of Lauryn (Corey) Kalka and U.S. Army Specialist Larry Macko, Nicholas, Charles, Caroline, Jenna, and Erin Frizzi, Katie and Thomas Crooks, and Dominic and Carlina Frizzi. … Affiliations … Army, Roman Catholic Church, American Legion …”
2. *) July 16, 2024, Jack Morphet and Ronny Reyes for NY Post, ‘Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks’ family includes ‘hardworking’ big sister who’s ‘real friendly’ — as feds still search for motive’; *) March 3, 2020, Bethel Park Schools post on Twitter (now X); *) July 15, 2024, Joe Marino and Chris Nesi for NY Post, ‘Feds question Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks’ parents, neighbors as they scramble to figure out motive‘
3. *) December 13, 2024, America First Legal Foundation, Thomas Matthew Crooks academic records; *) August 26, 2024, Jack Morphet, Josh Christenson and Chris Nesi for New York Post, ‘Why would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks remains an infuriating enigma weeks after shooting‘, ““Everybody around here knows each other, but no one knows them,” said Karen, 77, who lives on the same street as the Crookses and asked that her last name not be used.”; *) October 22, 2024, Jack Posobeic and Joshua Lisec, ‘Bulletproof’, Appendix I: Our Private Investigative Report: “Two neighbors agreed to talk to this investigator… They described the family as reclusive and non-interactive to the point of almost being unfriendly. … Aside from an adult daughter (Katie) who moved away from the home a few years ago, they appeared to have few visitors.”; *) July 15, 2024, Hallie Lauer, Ciara McEneany, Ellen McIntyre and Maddie Aiken for the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, ‘More details emerge about Thomas Crooks, the Bethel Park man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump’, (Archive), “Allegheny County property records indicate Matthew and Mary Crooks bought their brick ranch house, which was built in 1950, in July 1998.”
4. *) July 14, 2024, Andy Sheehan for CBS News, ‘Federal investigators trying to learn more about Trump rally shooter‘, “State records show both parents are licensed behavioral counselors. Matthew works nearby at Community Care Behavioral Health, a subsidiary of UPMC Health Plan. … According to Pennsylvania voter records, he was a registered Republican, … His mother, Mary, is a registered Democrat, and his father, Matthew, is a libertarian.”; *) July 16, 2024, Jack Morphet and Ronny Reyes for New York Post, ‘Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks’ family includes ‘hardworking’ big sister who’s ‘real-friendly’ – as feds still search for motive‘; “Like her brother, Katie is a registered Republican.”; *) June 9, 2025, Steve Eder and Tawnell D. Hobbs for New York Times, ‘The Quiet Unraveling of the Man Who Almost Killed Trump, (Archive), “
   His family’s political affiliations were as diverse as the swing state they lived in: His older sister, Katherine, and his father were registered as Libertarians, and his mother was a Democrat.”
5. FindAGrave, Thomas Matthew Crooks, photos
6. *) July 17, 2024, Oliver Morrison for 90.5 WESA, ‘Alleged Trump shooter: Smart, quiet, say Bethel Park community members’, “Early indications are that the 20-year-old had been a quiet student in Bethel Park schools, … She said her son told her that Crooks was very small, smart and quiet. “I hate to stereotype but like a little nerd,” she said.”; *) July 14, 2024, Ramon Antonio Vargas and Joanna Walters for The Guardian, ‘Questions mount over shooter’s ability to access roof despite security presence at Trump rally’, “Former classmates described Crooks as quiet and smart.”; *) July 16, 2024, Laura Collins for Daily Mail, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks’ lonely world: Donald Trump shooter went from popular 10-year-old to secretive loner‘; *) 2010, Beinhauer Family Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, ‘Obituary for John N. Frizzi’ (Archive); *) July 18, 2024, Megan Trotter for Trib Live, ‘‘Just can’t see him doing that’: Classmates discuss Trump shooter’, ““From what I’ve known from him, he’d always come off as, for the most part, a friendly, kind of harmless guy,” said Tristan Radcliffe, 20, of Castle Shannon, who graduated with Crooks from Bethel Park High School and then attended Community College of Allegheny County with him. … He and Radcliffe attended Abraham Lincoln Elementary school in Bethel Park together where they were close friends but drifted as they grew older. Both men attended CCAC’s South Campus together, although they would only speak on occasion to catch up.”
7. *) July 29, 2024, Devlin Barrett and Perry Stein for Washington Post, ‘Trump rally shooter sought info on attempted killing of foreign leader’, “The family owned more than a dozen firearms, and Crooks became interested in firearms as a hobby years ago. … His father, who bought the gun used in the attack in 2013, legally transferred ownership of the weapon to his son last year.”; *) July 17, 2024, Khaleda Rahman for Newsweek, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks’ Father Profiled by Donald Trump Campaign‘, “The AR-15 style rifle used in the shooting belonged to his father, Matthew Crooks, who bought it in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, in 2013, The Associated Press reported.” *) August 28, 2024, FBI, ‘Butler Investigation Evidence Photos’
8. ) July 16, 2024, Laura Collins for Daily Mail, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks’ lonely world: Donald Trump shooter went from popular 10-year-old to secretive loner‘; *) July 15, 2024, Siobhan Kennedy for Channel 4 News (UK), ‘REVEALED: Trump campaign secret data on gunman’s family’, “The owner of the rifle used to shoot at Donald Trump had been identified by the former president’s campaign as a strong republican, likely gun owner and “hunter”, as revealed today by Channel 4 News. In 2016 the Trump campaign built a database profiling millions of voters in key battleground states – including the family of Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Crooks. It found that both the parents of Thomas Crooks were very likely to be gun owners and shared other gun-related lifestyle indicators. This database was first obtained and revealed by Channel 4 News in 2020. The programme can now reveal the information was compiled as part of a secretive project aiming to identify millions of gun owners in America who could be targeted with pro-gun rights messages in the lead-up to the 2016 election campaign. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign database, obtained by Channel 4 News in 2020, lists the assailant’s parents Matthew, and his wife Mary, 53, as living at a residence in the borough of Bethel Park, south of Pittsburgh. They were among 6.7 million people in the swing state of Pennsylvania profiled for their likely ownership of firearms. Both scored highly, with Crook’s father Matthew given particularly high scores. Data scientists can analyse relatively small original datasets to determine the characteristics that would make someone likely, for example, to be a gun owner. Using machine learning they can generate models that match those characteristics across the population, assigning individuals a likelihood score. The gun-related profiles which appear in the 2016 Trump campaign database range between 0 – meaning no likelihood – and 1 – a certainty. Matthew Crooks scored highly across a range of gun-related models including: 0.99 for the likelihood of returning a warranty card for a firearms purchase; 0.95 for the likelihood of pursuing hunting sports; and 0.94 for the likelihood of shopping at the hunting retailer Overall, averaged across all three of these measures, out of more than 19,000 people in Bethel Park, Matthew Crooks was among the top 20 highest scoring individuals. In total, the data technique was deployed in ten swing states – scoring a total of around 50 million individuals – to find voters who could be susceptible to political messages about gun-rights, a bedrock issue in all of Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns. While the Crooks family were assigned scores derived from models, such models are not necessarily accurate and may not reflect the Crooks family’s actual views or gun ownership at that time.”; *) July 17, 2024, Isabel Keane for New York Post, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks’ father was profiled by Donald Trump campaign, family had MAGA yard sign: reports’, “The father of would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks was reportedly profiled by the former president’s 2016 campaign — as one neighbor claims the family had MAGA decor in their yard until recently. Matthew Brian Crooks, 53, who legally purchased the AR-15 rifle used in his son’s attack in Butler, Pa., over the weekend, was identified by the Trump campaign as a crucial swing-state voter who was likely to respond favorably to pro-gun messaging, according to data obtained by the UK’s Channel 4 News. The campaign’s private database analyzed 6.7 million people in the Keystone State — about half of the state’s population — to determine which voters could be targeted with messages about gun rights ahead of the 2016 election. Crooks’ father, a registered Libertarian, was identified in the database as a strong Republican, likely a gun owner and “hunter.” He was among the top 20 highest-scoring people in their hometown of Bethel Park, which has a population of 19,000, according to the report. The gunman’s mother, a registered Democrat, was also flagged by the Trump campaign as a likely gun owner who would be receptive to pro-gun messaging. The 20-year-old gunman, who took a shot at Trump during a rally in Butler on Saturday, grazing Trump’s right ear and killing a hero firefighter and seriously injuring two others, lived with his parents in the Pittsburgh suburb. The family’s Bethel Park home had pro-Trump and MAGA decor, including yard signs, in the front yard until recently, one of the family’s neighbors told WPXI. “There absolutely was MAGA-supporting things for a while,” said neighbor Kelly Little, who was evacuated from her home for 24 hours as authorities removed a device from the Crooks family home.”; *) July 14, 2024, Kenny Jacoby, Christopher Cann, Emily Le Coz and Suhail Bhat for USA Today, ‘Trump rally shooter Thomas Crooks: Neighbors, classmates, employer speak‘, “Sean Eckert said he went to school with Crooks from 5th through 12th grade. He said Crooks always went by “Tom.“ They shared classes together in elementary and middle school. Eckert said Crooks, though “fairly smart,” was quiet and rarely spoke up. Eckert said Crooks did not seem to have many friends. He didn’t recall Crooks being playing any sports, being involved in any clubs or student groups or going to popular campus events. He often wore hunting clothes, so Eckert assumed he hunted. No one in Eckert’s group text from high school seemed to know Crooks very well, he said. They were shocked that someone from their town had done this. They were even more surprised that it was Tom Crooks.”; *) July 17, 2024, Oliver Morrison for 90.5 WESA, ‘A composite portrait of the alleged Trump shooter: Quiet, smart, conservative‘, “Brayden Denson said he attended the Bethel Park School District from sixth grade until his graduation two years ago and that he shared one class with Crooks, a woodshop class. Denson said he was also quiet in school but that he ran with a different group of friends than Crooks. Crooks was involved in advanced classes and seemed smart, Denson said, while Denson himself said he wasn’t at school much. “He did have friends,” Denson said.”; *) July 15, 2024, Viktoria Hallikaar for Spectrum News 1, ‘Classmate of suspected Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks speaks‘, “Vincent Taormina, who met Crooks in middle school and knew him through high school, described him as a pretty smart kid, sometimes a bit smug. Taormina says Crooks had his circle of friends and was never really a loner or super quiet. He did, however, recall a falling out with Crooks in eighth grade, around 2018, two years into Donald Trump’s presidency.  “I said something about Trump and, you know, making up all the pros and cons and how I thought he was doing really well compared to how we thought he was,” said Taormina. “And that’s when Thomas was like, ‘well, aren’t you Hispanic?’ And I was like, ‘yeah.’ And he was like, ‘well, and you like Trump?’ I go, ‘yeah.’ And he goes, ‘well, that’s a little stupid, isn’t it?’ “He was not one for a certain politician, as far as I know. As far as I know, he hated all politicians. He hated, I wouldn’t say the government per se, but he definitely did not like our politicians and our pool of choice when it comes to our politicians.” Taormina says Crooks was picked on over appearance or being a nerd — comments here and there — but overall, he said in a million years he never thought Crooks would do something like this.”
9. July 19, 2024, Emily Cochrane, Steve Eder, William K. Rashbaum, Amy Julia Harris, Jack Healey and Glenn Thrush for New York Times, ‘From Honor Student to the Gunman Who Tried to Kill Donald Trump‘ (Archive), “In an autobiographical statement Mr. Crooks wrote for his induction into the National Technical Honor Society in spring 2021 as a high-school junior, Mr. Crooks said he had a lifelong interest in building things, and that he and his father had built a computer together in 2017.”
10. *) July 17, 2024, Oliver Morrison for 90.5 WESA, ‘Alleged Trump shooter: Smart, quiet, say Bethel Park community members’, “Early indications are that the 20-year-old had been a quiet student in Bethel Park schools, known for having a small circle of friends and an interest in the military before graduating in 2022 from Bethel Park High School.”; *) August 29, 2024, Aysha Bagchi for USA Today, ‘FBI shares new details in investigation of Donald Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks‘, “Crooks’ search history suggests he may have been considering a violent attack for several years. Rojek said as early as September 2019, and continuing into the summer of 2024, Crooks conducted multiple searches about explosive devices, including “detonating cord,” “blasting cap,” “how to make a bomb from fertilizer,” and “how do remote detonators work.” Crooks also searched for ammonium nitrate, nitromethane, and other materials consistent with manufacturing explosive devices.”
11. *) October 31, 2020, C-SPAN, ‘President Trump Holds Rally in Butler, Pennsylvania‘; *) October 31, 2020, CBS Pittsburgh, ‘‘We Win Pennsylvania, We Win It All’: President Trump Rallies Supporters In Butler County‘
12. *) July 19, 2024, Emily Cochrane, Steve Eder, William K. Rashbaum, Amy Julia Harris, Jack Healey and Glenn Thrush for New York Times, ‘From Honor Student to the Gunman Who Tried to Kill Donald Trump‘ (Archive); *) July 14, 2024, Campbell Robertson, Jack Healy, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Glenn Thrush for New York Times, ‘Here’s What Is Known About the Suspect Who Tried to Assassinate Trump‘ (Archive), “The F.B.I. has not found a manifesto, and Mr. Crooks had never been under F.B.I. investigation. The official confirmed that he did not have an unusual online history for a 20-year-old man. He liked to play chess, video games and was learning how to code, according to a review of his online activities.”
13. *) July 15, 2024, Kenny Jacoby, Christopher Cann, Emily Le Coz and Suhail Bhat for USA Today, ‘Trump rally shooter Thomas Crooks: Neighbors, classmates, employer speak‘, “Jason Kohler attended Bethel Park High School with Crooks and said he remembers the 20-year-old sat alone at lunch and was “bullied almost every day.” Kids picked on Crooks for wearing camouflage to class and his quiet demeanor, Kohler, 21, said.”; *) July 14, 2024, Jeff Seldin for Voice of America, ‘New information emerges on Trump shooting suspect‘, “Jason Kohler told reporters Sunday that he attended high school with Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, describing him as a loner and an outcast. “He was, like a kid that was always alone. He was always bullied,” Kohler told reporters Sunday. “He was bullied so much.””; *) July 14, 2024, Ryan J. Reilly, Kelly O’Donnell, Tom Winter and Jonathan Dienst for NBC News, ‘Trump rally shooter identified as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man‘, “Michael Dudjak, 20, who went to school with Crooks for most of his life, recalled him as a relatively reserved and quiet classmate. He didn’t hear or see Crooks being actively bullied by their peers, Dudjak said, but Crooks was “on his own a lot.”” *) July 18, 2024, News18, ‘‘Easy Target’: New Video Shows Trump Shooting Suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks Getting Bullies In School‘; *) July 20, 2024, Bethel Park School District, ‘A Statement from the BPSD‘; *) July 15, 2024, Sean O’Driscoll for Newsweek, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks Described by Multiple Former Classmates: Loner‘, “One former classmate recalled the 20-year-old would-be assassin used to wear hunting kit and camouflage gear to school, and sat alone in the cafeteria before class. … Another former classmate, Jason Koehler, said Crooks was bullied for his nerdy appearance and wore camo or hunting outfits to class. He recalled that Crooks was a loner would who sit in the cafeteria in isolation before class. He also remembered that Crooks wore a COVID mask long after they were required.” *) Tom Crooks forum, archive; *) July 16, 2024, Laura Collins for Daily Mail, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks’ lonely world: Donald Trump shooter went from popular 10-year-old to secretive loner‘, “Contrary to what one ‘friend’ has publicly claimed in recent days those who spoke with DailyMail.com insist he did not dress in hunting or camouflage gear but instead was always smartly turned out in a polo shirt and pants or shorts.” In any case, there are a couple images of Crooks in a Covid mask but the date isnt clear. Furthermore, Crooks’ dad has been described as a hunter, but was certainly a gun fanatics, something that certainly influenced Crooks interest in guns.
14. *) July 20, 2024, Bethel Park School District, ‘A Statement from the BPSD‘; *) August 2, 2024, Liz Jassin for NewsNation, ‘Trump shooter classmate: Thomas Crooks not ‘safe fit’ on rifle team‘; *) July 20, 2024, Olivia Land for New York Post, ‘Trump shooter Thomas Crooks was not a member of rifle team, wasn’t bullied despite previous reports, school claims‘
15. *) July 30, 2024, Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand and Hannah Rabinowitz for CNN, ‘Investigators believe Trump shooter posted antisemitic and anti-immigration themes on YouTube‘, “FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said at a congressional hearing Tuesday that investigators had uncovered a social media account where Thomas Matthew Crooks may have posted those themes but didn’t specify the platform and said they are still working to confirm the connection with the shooter. … “Something just very recently uncovered that I want to share is a social media account, which is believed to be associated with this with the shooter – in about the 2019, 2020 timeframe,” Abbate said Tuesday. On that account, “there were over 700 comments,” Abbate said, which, “if ultimately attributable to the shooter, appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, to espouse political violence, and are described as extreme in nature.””; *) July 30, 2024, C-SPAN, ‘Secret Service and FBI Officials Testify on Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump‘; *) July 25, 2024, Isabel Keane for New York Post, ‘Trump gunman Thomas Crooks likely had a Gab account that he used to ‘support’ President Biden, site’s CEO says‘; *) July 17, 2024, Oliver Morrison for 90.5 WESA, ‘A composite portrait of the alleged Trump shooter: Quiet, smart, conservative‘, “There is also some evidence that he may have held conservative beliefs. One high school classmate remembers him standing alone to argue for conservative views in a social studies class. Another classmate said she believed he and his friends wore Trump shirts when Trump was running for office. In total, four people said they believed he had conservative beliefs, while none said they believed he was liberal or espoused some other ideology. Two people said they had never heard him talk about politics. One classmate said Crooks told him that he hated all the presidential candidates in 2016.”
16. July 18, 2024, TMZ, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks Quiet, Solitary, Highly Intelligent… Years Before Shooting‘
17. *) July 18, 2024, Katherine Donlevy for New York Post, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks threatened to ‘shoot up’ high school classmates years before Trump assassination attempt‘; *) July 18, 2024, Laura Collins for Daily Mail, ‘Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks threatened to ‘shoot up’ his high school and ‘put bombs in the bathrooms’ years before his failed assassination attempt on the former president‘, “Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com Taormina said, ‘We had like this anonymous place you could post things or tell on someone on our computers at school and he posted something like ‘Don’t come to school tomorrow,’ and something else that made it sound like he’d put bombs in the cafeteria bathrooms. ‘Half of us just didn’t come to school the next day – I didn’t. But it wasn’t taken seriously. ‘We all texted one another and it came out pretty quickly that it was Thomas and his friend group who’d made the threats to shoot [the school] up.’ According to Taormina investigators were keen to hear more about the threats made by the younger Crooks in 2019 which were not, he said, taken seriously at the time.” … Madison Rudolph, 17, who was in Crooks’s computer class despite their age difference told DailyMail.com that he was part of a small friend group she described as ‘outcasts’ with ‘strange hobbies’ the details of which she could not remember but she recalled that they wore nails as accessories. Crooks’s high school experience coincided with the global pandemic and Rudolph noted that he was further ostracized for continuing to wear a mask long after the mandates had been lifted and student life resumed a semblance of normalcy. *) July 20, 2024, Bethel Park School District, ‘A Statement from the BPSD‘; *) February 27, 2025, Dana Kennedy for New York Post, ‘Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks may have had accomplice, data show, as investigators say FBI is suppressing info‘, ““He was my little buddy,” teacher Xavier Harmon, 48, who had Crooks in his computer technology class at Steel Center for Career and Technical Education for two years, told The Post last week. “I just didn’t believe it when I heard it. Tom was the quirky, funny little guy who also loved to excel in class. When he was finished, he’d always go back and help his classmates. He was very intelligent.” “I don’t think he set out to kill the president,” Harmon said. “My guess is, he messed with the wrong individuals about what they were going to do and it was different from what he thought it was going to be. Anyone planning to do this would leave some sort of breadcrumbs. But there’s nothing — no paperwork, no itinerary, no even [him] going to websites to [research].”; *) July 18, 2024, TMZ, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks Quiet, Solitary, Highly Intelligent… Years Before Shooting‘, “Another interesting person who shed light on Crooks was Xavier Harmon — who was the guy’s teacher from 2019 to 2020 at the Steel Center for Career and Technical Education in Jefferson Hills, PA … another institution Crooks attended as a teen. Mr. Harmon tells TMZ that he never saw any sign of aggression or hostility from his pupil — and while he acknowledges he was a bit of a lone wolf/black sheep … he didn’t have any enemies to his knowledge, noting that the kid was quite talented with computer technology. He also says he never heard Thomas talk politics in class, nor did he hear anything about guns — even though it’s clear he did have an interest in that outside of school. Harmon says he never saw Thomas get bullied, and had no reason to think he’d ever do something like this. Due to his small, slight frame, Harmon says he jokingly nicknamed him “Muscles.”; *) July 14, 2025, Megan Guza for Pittsburgh Post Gazette, ‘Who, exactly, is Thomas Crooks, the Behtel Park man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump?‘, (Archive), “To former classmate Sarah D’Angelo, Crooks was just “Tom.” “He was a quiet kid. He was nice to anyone he talked to,” she told The Washington Post. She said he didn’t seem to have had many friends, but also didn’t seem to be lonely. He was smart and  took numerous advanced placement classes in high school. Ms. D’Angelo was in an honors history class with Crooks her sophomore year, she told the Post. Their final project for the class was on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. She said the assignment was to determine what they thought happened, including how many gunmen were involved.”
18. July 16, 2024, Laura Collins for Daily Mail, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks’ lonely world: Donald Trump shooter went from popular 10-year-old to secretive loner‘, “Certainly, they said, something shifted in Crooks in recent years. He appears with a smile in every school yearbook until 2020, his sophomore year and the start of the global pandemic. After that he is absent, failing to show up for his yearbook photograph and a ghost in every group shot. According to the friend, ‘Honestly we knew him less and less the older he got.’”
19. *) October 31, 2020, C-SPAN, ‘President Trump Holds Rally in Butler, Pennsylvania‘; *) October 31, 2020, CBS Pittsburgh, ‘‘We Win Pennsylvania, We Win It All’: President Trump Rallies Supporters In Butler County‘
20. *) Federal Election Commission (FEC), Report Display, page 189746; *) July 18, 2024, Julia Ingram for CBS News, ‘Did the Trump gunman make a donation to Democrats? Here’s what the records show.‘, “The donation was made in response to an email asking recipients if they planned to watch the inauguration, and Crooks unsubscribed from the group’s email list two years ago, a representative from the organization wrote in an email to CBS News.”
21. *) July 24, 2024, Andrew Torba for Gab News, ‘An Urgent Message From Gab’s CEO‘; *) July 19, 2024, Emily Cochrane, Steve Eder, William K. Rashbaum, Amy Julia Harris, Jack Healey and Glenn Thrush for New York Times, ‘From Honor Student to the Gunman Who Tried to Kill Donald Trump‘ (Archive); “In an autobiographical statement Mr. Crooks wrote for his induction into the National Technical Honor Society in spring 2021 as a high-school junior, Mr. Crooks said he had a lifelong interest in building things, and that he and his father had built a computer together in 2017.”; *) July 16, 2024, Jack Morphet and Ronny Reyes for New York Post, ‘Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks’ family includes ‘hardworking’ big sister who’s ‘real friendly’ – as feds still search for motive‘, “A neighbor of Katie Crooks, Thomas’ sister, described her as a “hardworking” woman who juggled two jobs and who moved into their apartment building in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with the help of her brother three years ago. “The person who helped her, I couldn’t tell if it was a male or a female,” the neighbor told The Post of his initial reaction to Thomas, 20. “A couple of days later, I asked if it was one of her siblings and she said it was her brother. The one who shot Trump … He was real scrawny,” he added. The neighbor noted that Katie’s father, Matthew Brian Crooks, appeared to be too heavy to help her move and instead opted to drive the moving truck while Thomas helped his sister settle in.”
22. *) July 15, 2024, Anna Rascouet-Paz for Snopes, ‘Yes, Trump’s Alleged Would-Be Assassin Was a Republican‘; *) July 16, 2024, Jack Morphet and Ronny Reyes for New York Post, ‘Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks’ family includes ‘hardworking’ big sister who’s ‘real friendly’ – as feds still search for motive‘, “Like her brother, Katie is a registered Republican. Their father is a registered Libertarian.”; *) July 18, 2024, Julia Ingram for CBS News, ‘Did the Trump gunman make a donation to Democrats? Here’s what the records show.‘, “The donation was made in response to an email asking recipients if they planned to watch the inauguration, and Crooks unsubscribed from the group’s email list two years ago, a representative from the organization wrote in an email to CBS News.”; *) May 23, 2025, Graham Kates and Cara Tabachnick for CBS News, ‘Trump shooter Thomas Crooks’ emails reveal a student dreaming of a bright future. And contemplating a violent attack‘,
23. *) July 14, 2024, Reuters, ‘BlackRock says suspect from Trump Rally appeared in a 2022 ad‘, “”In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks,” the world’s biggest asset manager said in an emailed statement to Reuters.”; *) July 15, 2022, Ronny Reyes for New York Post, ‘BlackRock yanks 2022 ad featuring Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks‘, “The 30-second BlackRock TV ad features an AP and honors economics class that Crooks attended at the time, with the would-be Trump assassin speaking with his teacher.”; *) July 16, 2024, Brian Matthews for The Washington Times, ‘Investment titan BlackRock pulls 2022 spot featuring would-be Trump assassin‘, “The 30-second BlackRock ad focused on Brian DeLallo, a teacher at Bethel Park High School in the same-named Pennsylvania town, and how the company’s pension plan helped him. Footage of the teacher’s classroom depicted Crooks sitting at a table with another student and speaking with Mr. DeLallo during an honors economics class, according to the New York Post.”
24. June 22, 2022, Tribune Review, ‘Awards and Recognition Program honors Bethel Park graduates‘, “Representatives of several local organizations and institutions attended to present awards: Bethel Park Community Foundation – … American Legion Post 760 ($1,000), … Rotary Club of Bethel Park … Rotary Club of Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park … Bethel Park Lions Club Scholarship… National Math & Science Initiative Star Awards ($500)… Thomas Crooks, …”
25. July 18, 2024, Jacob Grandstaff for The Tennessee Star, ‘Community College of Allegheny County: Pennsylvania Shooter Thomas Crooks Was Honor Society Student with Stellar Behavior‘, “In response to whether he engaged in campus life outside of class, Buzila stated: “Thomas Matthew Crooks attended CCAC during the period from September of 2021 until May of 2024, where he majored in Engineering Science. This individual graduated from CCAC with high honors on May 16, 2024, and was conferred an Associate in Science degree.”; *) July 18, 2024, Jaclyn Diaz, Dave Mistich and Quil Lawrence for NPR, ‘What we know about the Trump shooter‘, “Samuel Strotman, a classmate of Crooks at CCAC, shared classes with him. But Strotman said he never saw Crooks in person at the school’s campus. In the classes they did share over Zoom, Crooks was just a “dark screen” and said just a few words when the professor took roll call. “I never thought I’d be in class with someone who tried to assassinate our former president,” Strotman said.”; *) February 27, 2025, Dana Kennedy for New York Post, ‘Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks may have had accomplice, data show, as investigators say FBI is suppressing info‘, “Some believe Crooks was radicalized while at Community College of Allegheny County, but his academic adviser Todd Landree doubts it. He remembers Crooks as being smart and being impressed with one of his assignments, a chess project he printed out in 3-D so blind people could play chess, which he said was “fantastic.””
26. July 14, 2024, Casey Tolan, Danny Freeman, Majilie de Puy Kamp, Curt Devine and Isabelle Chapman for CNN, ‘What we know about the Trump rally gunman so far‘, “Later that year [2022], a week after turning 18, Crooks registered to vote as a Republican, according to a listing in Pennsylvania’s voter database that matched his name, age and address. Crooks only cast a ballot once, in the 2022 midterm general election, an Allegheny County spokesperson told CNN.”
27. *) July 18, 2024, TMZ, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks Member of College’s Honors Society … Set to Transfer to 4-Year‘, “An official with Community College of Allegheny County — where TMC graduated with high honors on May 16 — told us the gunman was a member of Phi Theta Kappa … which is an honors society, and he was part of the local chapter. If you go to their Facebook page, you’ll see they were pretty involved with extracurriculars — getting together for events, attending conventions and talking shop in and around the school. From the looks of it … there are no photos of Thomas on their socials.”; *) July 19, 2024, TMZ, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks Honor Society Member on Paper … But Unknown To Members‘, “Thomas Matthew Crooks‘ honor society membership seems to have been all for show — because we now know that the dude didn’t go to events … and was unknown to members. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, TMC certainly was part of the local Phi Theta Kappa chapter at the Community College of Allegheny County — but just on paper, because in terms of anyone knowing or interacting with him … we’re told that simply never happened. We’re told Thomas never attended any events or functions within the honor society as far as PTK brass is aware — and more importantly … we’re told no one even knew this guy’s name/face until it was reported in the media that he was a member of the org. The only thing we’re told Phi Theta Kappa honchos knew about Thomas is that he paid his one-time fee to join … a measly $95. Beyond that … our sources say nobody knew a thing about the dude. We’re told some within the organization theorize he simply joined on a superficial level to pad his resume in an effort to help him get to better schools after the fact — which jibes with the fact that we know he got into two major universities … and was set to attend one in the fall. While we knew he was a member of PTK, we checked their social pages just yesterday, and couldn’t find any pics featuring Thomas … now, it seems clear that’s because there aren’t any. In other words, we’re told nobody at PTK can speak to Thomas’ character or habits — the only thing anyone knows about him at this point is that he tried to kill Donald Trump.” *) July 18, 2024, Jacob Grandstaff for The Tennessee Star, ‘Community College of Allegheny County: Pennsylvania Shooter Thomas Crooks Was Honor Society Student with Stellar Behavior‘, “… according to a statement by CCAC Public Relations Director Dena Rose Buzila. … Crooks began attending CCAC while he was a high school senior. The college previously confirmed that he graduated in May with an AS in Engineering Science. In response to whether he engaged in campus life outside of class, Buzila stated: “Thomas Matthew Crooks attended CCAC during the period from September of 2021 until May of 2024, where he majored in Engineering Science. This individual graduated from CCAC with high honors on May 16, 2024, and was conferred an Associate in Science degree. He was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Iota Eta chapter (CCAC South Campus). In addition, based upon our preliminary review, CCAC has no records relating to any disciplinary, student conduct or security-related incidents involving the identified individual.“; *) December 13, 2024, America First Legal Foundation, Thomas Matthew Crooks academic records
28. *) July 29, 2024, Hannah Rabinowitz and Holmes Lybrand for CNN, ‘FBI to ask Trump’s ‘perspective’ in shooting probe witness interview‘, “”Starting in the spring of 2023, the subject made more than 25 different firearms related purchases from online firearms vendor using an alias,” Rojek said. … Crooks used foreign-based encrypted email accounts to purchase firearm components, chemicals and other explosive components, investigators said Monday.”; *) July 22, 2024, Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project post on X, “Someone who regularly visited Crooks home and work also visited a building in Washington, DC located in Gallery Place. This is in the same vicinity of an @FBI office on June 26, 2023. Whose device is this?”; *) June 9, 2025, Steve Eder and Tawnell D. Hobbs for New York Times, ‘The Quiet Unraveling of the Man Who Almost Killed Trump, (Archive)
29. *) 2024, Jack Posobeic and Joshua Lisec, ‘Bulletproof: The Truth About the Assassination Attempts on Donald Trump’, “It was known that Crooks, the shooter, had used encrypted messaging apps and browsed the web using virtual private networks (VPNs) potentially more than a year prior to the Butler shooting. … We know he used those encrypted accounts, and he knew how to use virtual private networks (VPN) to conceal his online activity. He also used Tor, the anonymous internet browser. It’s obvious he masked his identity online just long enough. How did he know to do that?”; *) August 21, 2024, Josh Christenson for New York Post, ‘Trump shooter Thomas Crooks had encrypted messaging accounts in Belgium, Germany, New Zealand‘, “Donald Trump rally gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks used encrypted messaging accounts on various platforms located in Belgium, New Zealand and Germany, according to a member of a congressional task force investigating his assassination attempt against the former president. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), one of 13 lawmakers tapped to serve on the House bipartisan task force, told reporters at a Wednesday press conference at the Trump Hotel Chicago that the “overseas accounts” piqued his suspicion immediately regarding the shooter’s motives. “Why does a 19-year-old kid who is a health care aide need encrypted platforms not even based in the United States, but based abroad — where most terrorist organizations know it is harder for our law enforcement to get into?” asked Waltz.”; *) August 28, 2024, Michael Kan for PC Mag, ‘FBI Accesses Encrypted Email Accounts of Trump Shooter‘, “The FBI has accessed several “overseas” encrypted email accounts belonging to the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, but investigators still haven’t determined the gunman’s motive. “We understand these accounts were encrypted. However, the level of encryption was no more sophisticated than any standard widely used internet-based email service,” Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge of the bureau’s Pittsburgh field office, said during a Wednesday call with reporters. The agency didn’t name the email providers used by the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks. But Rojek made the comment after a Republican lawmaker told the press last week that Crooks used encrypted messaging platforms based in Belgium, New Zealand, and Germany. “We successfully accessed the information from these accounts and appropriately analyzed their content,” Rojek said on Wednesday. “However, we continue to identify and exploit the subject’s accounts.” That suggests the FBI is still trying to track down all of Crooks’ online activity. A month ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray noted that Crooks had used encrypted messaging apps, creating another hurdle for investigators.”;
30. *) July 22, 2024, Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project post on X; *) July 14, 2024, Casey Tolan, Danny Freeman, Majlie de Puy Kamp, Curt Devine and Isabelle Chapman for CNN, ‘What we know about the Trump rally gunman so far‘, “Crooks worked as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home less than a mile from his family’s home, according to Marcie Grimm, the center’s administrator. “We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean,” Grimm said in a statement. A colleague who worked with Crooks at the nursing home and who asked not to be named described him in an interview as “the sweetest guy.” Just this week, the colleague said, the two of them worked together to find an easier way for nursing home residents to open ranch dressing packets, an act the colleague said was indicative of how caring Crooks was.”; *) July 14, 2024, James M. Berklan for McKnights, ‘Trump shooter worked at nursing home‘, “Thomas Matthew Crooks’ job performance was appropriate and a pre-employment background check did not raise any red flags, the facility’s administrator said in a statement provided to McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Sunday. … A spokeswoman for the for-profit center’s owner, Genesis HealthCare, referred a McKnight’s inquiry back to Grimm’s statement.”
31. *) August 8, 2024, WTAE, ‘US senator” Trump rally gunman visited Clairton gun club dozens of times in year before shooting‘, “Records obtained by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley and provided by the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club document Thomas Matthew Crooks’ preparation prior to his attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Crooks became a member at the gun club on Aug. 10, 2023, less than a year before the rally. Crooks visited the range a total of 43 times. In 2024, he attended target practice around three to six times per month before making one final visit on Friday, July 12, the day before the rally shooting. … Crooks also practiced on the rifle range far more frequently than the pistol range. He focused almost exclusively on the rifle range throughout 2024.”; *) August 9, 2024, Emily Crane for New York Post, ‘Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks visited gun range dozens of times — including Christmas — for ‘intense preparation’‘; *) August 12, 2024, Alex Oliveira for New York Post, ‘Attempted Trump assassin Thomas Crooks trained at same gun range used by DHS‘; *) July 17, 2024, TMZ, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks Ghost at the Gun Club … Moslty Unknown, But Did Go w/ Dad‘, “A separate ex-member of Clairton did tell TMZ that some who frequent Clairton — and who actually recall seeing Thomas there — say he had been seen dropping in with his dad … but it’s unclear how often they went, or if Thomas ever came on his own. Reports say Thomas did, in fact, hit up Clairton on Friday — almost 24 hours before he tried putting a bullet through Trump’s head — and practiced shooting on his father’s AR-15.”
32. July 22, 2024, Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project post on X, “On August 20, 2023, one device linked Crooks visited Allegheny Arms.’
33. August 28, 2024, Michael Kan for PC Mag, ‘FBI Accesses Encrypted Email Accounts of Trump Shooter‘, “So far, the FBI’s investigation shows the gunman began conducting online searches in late September 2023 to find out Trump’s campaign schedule in Pennsylvania, where Crooks lived.”
34. *) 2024, FBI Director Christopher Ray testimony; *) July 24, 2024, Adam Goldman for New York Times, ‘Gunman Searched ‘How Far Away Was Oswald From Kennedy?’ Before Trump Shooting‘, (Archive), ““We believe based on what we’ve seen that his father, after purchasing the gun, legally sold the gun to his son,” Mr. Wray told lawmakers, saying he did not have the amount of the transfer. The father purchased the weapon in 2013 and sold it to his son in October 2023, he later added.”
35. 2024, Jack Posobeic and Joshua Lisec, ‘Bulletproof: The Truth About the Assassination Attempts on Donald Trump’, “Specifically, a device appeared at the home of Thomas Matthew Crooks during time when he returned to his residence after his initial appearance at the Butler rally site on July 13, 2024. According to the timeline established by police, Crooks returned to his residence at or about 2:00 pm on July 13, 2024. The individual/device appeared at his residence at that time and during his presence there, before Crooks returned to the rally site to allegedly shoot President Donald J. Trump. This analysis is firm and unequivocal. The device has the characteristics of a “burner device” and was activated in December 2023. Perhaps most disturbing is that this device appears to remain active in and around Bethel Park.”; *) July 18, 2024, Megan Trotter for Trib Live, ‘‘Just can’t see him doing that’: Classmates discuss Trump shooter’, “Both men attended CCAC’s South Campus together, although they would only speak on occasion to catch up. During these encounters Radcliffe said he would often observe that Crooks couldn’t seem to stay still. Other than that, he thought his behavior was normal. In December, Radcliffe said Crooks told him while on campus, that he was planning to get all of his credits and transfer to Penn State.”; *) June 9, 2025, Steve Eder and Tawnell D. Hobbs for New York Times, ‘The Quiet Unraveling of the Man Who Almost Killed Trump, (Archive)
36. May 23, 2025, Graham Kates and Cara Tabachnick for CBS News, ‘Trump shooter Thomas Crooks’ emails reveal a student dreaming of a bright future. And contemplating a violent attack‘
37. ibid.; *) June 9, 2025, Steve Eder and Tawnell D. Hobbs for New York Times, ‘The Quiet Unraveling of the Man Who Almost Killed Trump, (Archive)
38. *) July 15, 2024, Hallie Lauer, Ciara McEneany, Ellen McIntyre and Maddie Aiken for the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, ‘More details emerge about Thomas Crooks, the Bethel Park man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump’, (Archive), “Crooks had applied to the University of Pittsburgh, and in February received an offer of admission for the fall 2024 semester as a transfer student, Pitt spokesman Jared Stonesifer confirmed. In March, he turned down the offer. Instead, he planned to enroll at Robert Morris University this fall, university spokesman Brian Edwards confirmed to the Post-Gazette.”; *) December 13, 2024, America First Legal Foundation, Thomas Matthew Crooks academic records
39. July 22, 2024, Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project post on X, “Another device linked to Crooks visited Plymouth, MA.”
40. *) July 19, 2024, Zachary Cohen, Evan Perez and Holmes Lybrand for CNN, ‘Trump’s would-be assassin researched previous shooter Ethan Crumbley and his family before attack‘, “Investigators have focused on Crooks’ online activity in the months and days before the attack. Family members and people he worked with described him as quiet and a loner but haven’t indicated that he showed any signs of planning an attack. In April [2024], he searched websites for information on major depressive disorder and depressive crisis treatment.”; *) July 20, 2024, Olivia Land for New York Post, ‘Attempted Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks’ ‘pathway to violence’ explained‘, “Thomas Matthew Crooks may have been trying to “diagnose himself” when he researched mental disorders months before he attempted to assassinate Donald Trump — a key step in what one former FBI agent described as the typical route some take to committing mass violence. In April, Crooks made online searches for major depressive disorder, investigators discovered this week – though there is no evidence he was ever formally diagnosed with the condition.”; July 17, 2024, Glenn Thrush, Jack Healy and Luke Broadwater for New York Times, ‘Gunman’s Phone Had Details About Both Trump and Biden, F.B.I. Officials Say‘ (Archive), “A more substantial development concerned the shooter’s state of mind. The officials told lawmakers that there was some indication that the gunman, who led a quiet life and worked at a nursing home near his house, might have been struggling with depression. Officials singled out some of the searches on one of his cellphones, saying that he had looked up “major depressive disorder,” according to a person on the calls and another briefed on its contents. Mr. Crooks seems to have been on good terms with his parents, who are both counselors, but they were not closely involved in the day-to-day details of his life, officials said.”
41. *) August 28, 2024, Megan Guza for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, ‘FBI: Gunman searched online for Trump and Biden campaign stops before Butler rally shooting‘, (Archive), “From April up until the day before the shooting in Butler, Crooks searched for campaign events scheduled for both Trump and Mr. Biden, Mr. Rojek said, including 60 searches in the month leading up to July 13.”; *) FBI Deputy Director Rojek testimony
42. 2024, Jack Posobeic and Joshua Lisec, ‘Bulletproof: The Truth About the Assassination Attempts on Donald Trump’
43. July 17, 2024, Associate General Counsel Robert Kelley of CCAC to Walter S. Zimolong of America First Legal, response to ‘Request for Records under the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law Interim Response’, “Notwithstanding the foregoing, given the circumstances under which your request is being made, we are able to confirm that the College’s records show that an individual by the name of Thomas Matthew Crooks (DOB: 9/20/2003) attended CCAC during the period from September of 2021 until May of 2024, where he majored in Engineering Science. This individual graduated from CCAC with high honors on May 16, 2024, and was conferred an Associate in Science degree. In addition, based upon our preliminary review, the College has no records relating to any disciplinary, student conduct or security related incidents involving the identified individual.”
44. *) uly 29, 2024, Hannah Rabinowitz and Holmes Lybrand for CNN, ‘FBI to ask Trump’s ‘perspective’ in shooting probe witness interview‘, ““Starting in the spring of 2023, the subject made more than 25 different firearms related purchases from online firearms vendor using an alias,” Rojek said. In the first half of 2024, Crooks also made “six chemical precursor-related purchases online of materials used to create the explosive devices recovered in the subject’s vehicle and home,” Rojek said. “For those purchases he used aliases,” Rojek added. Crooks used foreign-based encrypted email accounts to purchase firearm components, chemicals and other explosive components, investigators said Monday. Bobby Wells, assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, said that the bureau had trouble initially gaining access to the accounts because of their encryptions. But since they accessed the accounts, investigators found that the shooter was using the emails primarily to make online purchases. “We also identified some additional accounts and identifying information, including aliases he was using on these encrypted platforms,” Wells said. While Crooks had explosive components in his home and purchased chemical precursors previously, investigators said his parents didn’t have clear reasons to report on their son prior to the shooting. “As far as what was in the home, the chemicals and explosive-related materials,” Rojek said, “it’s our understanding from the parents and others that the shooter had a long interest in science and things like this, doing experiments and things like this over a period of time.” He added that because of that, his parents “weren’t concerned” that the materials could have been “focused on committing an attack of this nature or harming other people.” “He wasn’t hoarding ammunition” or doing things that would raise clear red flags for his parents, Rojek said, adding that they have been “extremely cooperative” with the FBI.” *) July 16, 2024, Pierre Thomas, Olivia Rubin, Peter Charalambous, Luke Barr, and Jack Date for ABC News, ‘‘Loner’ and ‘nice’: Complex portrait of gunman in Trump assassination attempt emerges‘, “”Over the last several months, Crooks received several packages, including some marked as possibly containing hazardous material, according to a review of his shipping history,” the bulletin said.”; *) July 16, 2024, ABC7, (YouTube) ‘Trump rally shooting suspect used father’s AR-15 in assassination attempt, officials say’ (YouTube), 0:46, “[Crooks] Bought dozens of rounds of ammunition online and local gun store”; *) June 9, 2025, Steve Eder and Tawnell D. Hobbs for New York Times, ‘The Quiet Unraveling of the Man Who Almost Killed Trump, (Archive)
45. July 20, 2024, Ryan Parry and Alex Diaz for The U.S. Sun, ‘‘CRACK SHOT’ I sat next to ‘evil’ Donald Trump shooter as he honed his ‘dead-eye’ gun skills on shooting range days before the attack‘, “US Air Force veteran Bill [Jenkins], 62, revealed he was questioned by the FBI about Crooks days after the assassination attempt. … ill and Crooks had signed up to the intermediate handgun-pistol 2 class at Keystone ­Shooting Centre in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, on June 22. … The instructor then took them back into the classroom and Bill recalled how the conversation veered into politics. He said: “It turns out the instructor and I are Trump supporters. “We talked about how our country was good under Trump. “Our borders were secure, the economy was strong, we were energy independent and he got things done. “I noticed at the time that the kid wasn’t saying anything one way or another but I could see him smirking. “He had a little smile. “Looking back, I think he was biting his tongue. Nothing we discussed will have sat well with him. “It’s crossed my mind — did that conversation help push him over the edge? … He gave very little away during his three hours with Bill, who said: “At one point he mentioned his dad and guns and a gun club in my area. But that was about it.” … “He was very quiet. He didn’t engage with us. He wasn’t interested in contributing to many of the conversations, which was really odd.”
46. *) July 20, 2024, Zachary Cohen, Evan Perez and Holmes Lybrand for CNN, ‘Thomas Matthew Crooks researched school shooter Ethan Crumbley, his family before attack: Officials’; *) July 29, 2024, Devlin Barrett and Perry Stein for Washington Post, ‘Trump rally shooter sought info on attempted killing of foreign leader’ (Archive), “The gunman who tried to kill former president Donald Trump conducted internet searches related to power plants, mass shooting events and the attempted assassination this year of Slovakia’s prime minister, FBI officials said Monday, offering new details about what they described as the gunman’s “careful planning” for the attack. The details, including Thomas Matthew Crooks’s interest in the attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico, were released as agents continue to unpack data pulled from the gunman’s cellphones, laptop and other digital devices. Fico was gravely wounded in the May shooting.”; *) July 18, 2024, Jaclyn Diaz, Dave Mistich, Quil Lawrence for NPR, ‘What we know about the Trump shooter’, “Crooks had saved images of President Biden, Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales. He had also searched for dates of Trump speaking events as well as the Democratic National Convention.“