The shooter at the Trump Rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania has been identified by authorities as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He was killed by Secret Service during the attack. He is believed to have acted alone and had bomb-making materials in the car he drove to the rally.
In an FBI-led investigation, Crooks’ motive has not yet been determined. Investigators found no clues on social media or Crooks’ computer. More than 100 people were interviewed, and still no motive has been uncovered.
Crooks has been described as an intelligent person that kept to himself. Classmate Liam Campbell said, “He sat by himself, didn’t talk to anyone, didn’t even try to make conversation.” Liam described him as an “odd kid” that did not seem dangerous.
Crooks was a registered Republican in Pennsylvania. However, federal campaign finance reports indicate that he gave 15 dollars to a progressive political action committee on Joe Biden’s inauguration day in 2021.
Some classmates say that Crooks, who went by “Tom”, was bullied in school. “He was bullied almost every day,” said Jason Kohler. “He was just an outcast.”
Crooks was known to wear hunting outfits to school, and to continue to wear a mask after the COVID-19 pandemic was over. He was standoffish and sat alone at lunch looking at his phone.
After graduating high school in 2022 and attending community college, Crooks worked as a nursing home dietary aide. He had no history of violent crime or criminal records.
