Mystery surrounds Trump rally shooter despite FBI's deep dive into his shadowy past

Three days after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, profile of the 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot dead by police minutes after, remains a complete mystery.

Crooks, who nearly killed Trump with a high-velocity bullet, is described as an intelligent but solitary individual with few friends. His limited social media presence and lack of clear political beliefs have provided no evident motive for the attack.

Despite the FBI’s extensive investigation, including examining Crooks’ cellphone, computer, home, and car, and interviewing over 100 people, the reason for the shooting remains unclear. The FBI’s probe has yet to reveal any significant clues regarding his motives or whether he acted alone.

Crooks was known in his quiet Pittsburgh-area community as a reserved and somewhat odd individual. Classmates noted his tendency to sit alone and avoid conversation, describing him as “a normal person who seemed like he didn’t like talking to people.” There are no indications that Crooks left behind any writings, social media posts, or other explanations for his actions.

Political affiliations of Crooks also appear ambiguous. While he was registered as a Republican in Pennsylvania, he made a $15 donation to a progressive political action committee on the day Joe Biden was inaugurated, complicating the understanding of his political stance.

The Las Vegas shooting

The lack of a clear motive has drawn comparisons to the prolonged federal investigation into the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, which concluded after 17 months without identifying a clear motive for the attack.

The probe into Las Vegas case closed after 17 months without finding any motive for what drove the 64-year-old gunman to spray more than 1,000 rounds into a crowd of concertgoers other than to “attain a certain degree of infamy.”

Who is Thomas Crooks?
Crooks, with a slight build, wire-rimmed glasses and thin hair parted in the middle, went by “Tom.” He was described by classmates at Bethel Park High School as smart but standoffish, often seen wearing headphones and preferring to sit alone at lunch looking at his phone. Some said he was often mocked by other students for the clothes he wore, which included hunting outfits, and for continuing to wear a mask after the COVID pandemic was over.

“He was bullied almost every day,” said classmate Jason Kohler. “He was just an outcast.”

After graduating from high school in 2022, Crooks went on to the Community College of Allegheny County, earning an associate’s degree with honors in engineering science in May. He also worked at a nursing home as a dietary aide.

A 1997 Secret Service study into those who had attempted assassinations since 1949 found there was no single indicator that a person might seek to take the life of a public figure. However, two-thirds of all attackers were described as “social isolates.”

Like Crooks, few had any history of violent crime or criminal records. Most attackers also had histories of handling weapons, but no formal weapons or military training, according to the study.

As a freshman, Crooks had tried out for his high school rifle team but was rejected for poor marksmanship, the AP previously reported. Through his family, he was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, a shooting range about 11 miles (17 kilometers) east of Bethel Park.

“We know very little about him,” club president Bill Sellitto told the AP. “That was a terrible, terrible thing that happened Saturday — that’s not what we’re about by any means.”

Shooting Club member

The club has an outdoor range for high-powered rifles with targets set at distances of up to 170 meters (187 yards).

Crooks was well within that range when he opened fire on Trump Saturday from about 135 meters (147 yards) from where Trump was speaking, unleashing two quick volleys of rounds at the former president with an AR-15 style rifle.

His father, Matthew Crooks, bought the gun in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, in 2013 from Gander Mountain, a retail outdoors chain.

Practiced shooting day before
The day before the shooting, Thomas Crooks went to the sportsman’s club and practiced on the rifle range, according to a federal intelligence briefing obtained by the AP. On the day of the attack, he purchased 50 rounds of 5.56mm ammo for his rifle from a local gun shop and drove alone to Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of the Trump rally.

He parked at a gas station lot about a third of a mile from the event. He wore a gray T-shirt with the logo of a popular YouTube channel dedicated to firearms, camo shorts and a black belt.

Witnesses and law enforcement officials say Crooks walked around for at least a half-hour before climbing onto the roof of a building adjacent to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump was speaking. As spectators screamed for police to respond, Crooks opened fire, letting loose two quick bursts. A Secret Service counter sniper fired back within about 15 seconds, killing Crooks with a shot to the head.

Conspiracy theories: Iran’s involvement?

Without clear insight into what drove Crooks, many on both sides of the American political divide tried to fill the void with their own partisan assumptions, evidence-free speculations and conspiracy theories in the days since the shooting.

Some Republicans have pointed at Democrats for labeling Trump a threat to democracy. Democrats, in turn, pointed to Crooks’ GOP registration and to Trump’s own long history of provocative rhetoric, including his continued praise of the Jan. 6 rioters.

Access to the Crooks home remained blocked by yellow police tape, with officers keeping watch and preventing reporters from approaching.

Iran, meawnhile, rejected what it called “malicious” accusations by US media implicating it in an attempt to kill former US president Donald Trump.

Iran “strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack against Trump,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said, while Iran’s mission to the United Nations called accusations of a previous plot to kill the former president as “unsubstantiated and malicious”.

With inputs from Agencies