The FBI has identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday.
The suspect was shot and killed by Secret Service agents seconds after he allegedly fired shots at the stage where President Trump was speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The FBI said it was still investigating the motive for the attack, which left one rallygoer dead and two others seriously injured, and Trump was shot in the ear.
State voter records show Crooks was registered as a Republican, and the Nov. 5 election would have been his first time being old enough to vote for president.
Crooks lived about an hour away from the scene of the Butler shooting, and the Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday it had closed the airspace over Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, for “special safety reasons.”
According to a 2021 Federal Election Commission filing, when he was 17, Crooks donated $15 to ActBlue, a political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians. The donation was to go to the Progressive Turnout Project, a national group that encourages Democrats to vote. Reuters contacted both groups for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
The video shows the moment shots rang out during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and former US President Donald Trump ducked for cover before being taken away by Secret Service agents.
Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN he was still trying to figure out what happened and would not talk about his son until he had spoken with police.
Thomas Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Crooks received a $500 “Star Award” from the National Math and Science Initiative, the paper reported.
The suspect did not have any identification.
A video of the 2022 commencement ceremony cited by The New York Times shows Crooks receiving her high school diploma to a standing ovation. A video of the ceremony posted online shows a bespectacled Crooks wearing a black graduation gown and posing with school officials. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video.
Police officials said Saturday that Crooks did not bring any identification to the scene of the shooting and had to identify himself in other ways.
Witnesses said shots were fired at former US President Donald Trump from outside the Secret Service-secured area, and the FBI said it was leading the investigation into the attack.
“We are currently reviewing photographs, conducting DNA testing and attempting biometric confirmation,” FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said at a press conference.
“AR-type” weapon reportedly recovered
Police vehicles were parked outside the home at the address listed on Crooks’ voter registration record. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrived on the scene on Sunday, and a bomb disposal unit was waiting at the home, USA Today reported.
![Police vehicles are blocking the road.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7263329.1720972932!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/election-2024-trump.jpg)
![Police vehicles are blocking the road.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7263329.1720972932!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/election-2024-trump.jpg)
Police officials told The Associated Press that bomb-making materials were found in the suspect’s vehicle and at his home in Bethel Park, about 53 miles (85 kilometers) south of Trump’s campaign hub.
Police also found an “AR-style” rifle at the scene of the assassination attempt, according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation.
CBC’s Idil Moussa reports from Milwaukee with the latest on the shooting at a Donald Trump campaign rally ahead of the Republican National Convention. One rally attendee and one suspect were killed. The FBI said it was investigating Saturday’s incident as an assassination attempt and identified the suspect as a 20-year-old man.
Investigators said they believe the weapon used in the shooting was purchased by Crooks’ father at least six months ago.
“It’s insane that someone would do something like this,” Dan Maloney, 30, who lives in the area, told USA Today.
Reuters was unable to immediately identify Crooks’ social media accounts or other online posts, and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, did not immediately respond to questions about whether the platforms had removed accounts linked to the suspect.