The 20-year-old man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump first came to law enforcement’s attention at Saturday’s rally when spectators noticed his strange behavior outside the campaign event. This tip initiated a frantic search, but officers couldn’t locate him before he climbed onto a roof and opened fire.
In the aftermath of the shooting that resulted in the death of one spectator, investigators sought to understand what motivated Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to commit this shocking act. The FBI is investigating it as a potential act of domestic terrorism, though the absence of a clear ideological motive led to conspiracy theories.
“I urge everyone — everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations,” President Joe Biden stated from the White House. “Let the FBI do their job, and their partner agencies do their job. I’ve instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift.”
The FBI believes Crooks, who had bomb-making materials in his car, acted alone. No threatening comments or ideological positions were found on his social media accounts to explain why he targeted Trump. The Secret Service rushed Trump off the stage, his face smeared with blood.
Trump mentioned on social media that the upper part of his right ear was pierced in the shooting, but advisers said he was in “great spirits” ahead of his arrival in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. Two spectators were critically injured, and a former fire chief from the area, Corey Comperatore, was killed. Pennsylvania’s governor noted that Comperatore, 50, died a hero by protecting his family.
Crooks’ relatives did not respond to messages from The Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN that he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but declined to speak about his son until after talking to law enforcement. An FBI official stated that Crooks’ family is cooperating with investigators.
Several rallygoers reported Crooks’ suspicious behavior and pacing near the magnetometers to local officers, according to a law enforcement official. Officers then learned Crooks was climbing a ladder but couldn’t find him before he reached the roof.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said a local officer encountered Crooks on the roof. Seeing the officer, Crooks turned toward him, leading the officer to retreat down the ladder. Crooks then took a shot at Trump, and Secret Service snipers shot him, according to officials.
