The FBI has identified the man suspected of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on Saturday (July 13).
The man, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is suspected of trying to assassinate Trump at a campaign rally in nearby Butler. Crooks was allegedly shot and killed by the Secret Service just seconds after he opened fire on the stage where Trump was speaking. The FBI said it was working to determine a motive for the attack. One rally attendee died and two other spectators were seriously injured. Trump was shot in the ear, but says he’s “fine.”
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Shortly after the shooting, Crooks’ voter registration card began circulating on social media, showing that he was a registered Republican. Trump will challenge President Joe Biden in the upcoming November election, which will be the first time Crooks is old enough to vote in a presidential race.
When Crooks was 17, she donated $15 to ActBlue, a political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians, according to 2021 Federal Election Commission filings. The donation is earmarked for the Progressive Turnout Project, a national organization that rallies Democrats to vote.
Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN he was trying to figure out what happened and would wait to talk to law enforcement before talking about his son. In Bethel Park, about an hour’s drive from where the shooting occurred, law enforcement blocked the streets around the Crooks’ home.
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According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and received the $500 “Star Award” from the National Mathematics and Science Program. A video of the graduation ceremony shows Crooks receiving his high school diploma to applause. Video of the ceremony posted online showed Crooks, wearing a black graduation gown and glasses, posing with school officials.
Law enforcement officials said Crooks was not carrying any identification at the shooting scene and must use other methods to identify himself.
“We are now looking at the photos and trying to analyze his DNA and get biometric confirmation,” FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said at the time.
The rally in a crowded outdoor venue erupted into chaos on Saturday as Trump addressed his ardent supporters. Security and Secret Service agents quickly intervened to evacuate Trump from the stage and take him to a nearby hospital, but not before he managed to raise his fists in the air and yell “fight, fight, fight.”
The incident sparked widespread division, with many believing it was staged and some declaring Trump a hero.
