Who Was Thomas Matthew Crooks, The Trump Rally Shooter?
The FBI has identified the man who shot at former President Donald Trump as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Trump said he was hit in the upper part of his ear with a bullet, but his campaign said the president was “fine.” A bystander at the rally was killed in the attempted assassination.
Here’s the latest on what we know about Crooks:
In a call with reporters, FBI Pittsburgh Office Director Kevin Rojek said Crooks used an “AR-style 5.56 rifle” that was legally purchased to shoot Trump and the bystander.
Rojek also said the FBI hasn’t finished a comprehensive assessment of the “rudimentary” explosive devices that were found among Crooks’ possessions.
It remains unclear whether Crooks encountered local law enforcement before opening fire on Trump.
“We’re still trying to flesh out those details,” Rojek said.
Rojek said the FBI’s initial investigation indicates that Crooks acted alone, and authorities have not yet “identified an ideology” related to the shooting.
“At this time, we have no indication of mental health issues,” Rojek said. “Our primary focus is on the phone. We are working to get access to the phone.”
Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, said the FBI’s top priority is identifying a motive and assessing whether there were co-conspirators, though there are currently no indicators of other people involved in the assassination attempt.
Officials are combing Crooks’s social media accounts and monitoring accounts from people pretending to be the gunman, Rojek said.
