The FBI has identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump during a campaign rally. The suspect was shot and killed by the Secret Service moments after he allegedly fired shots towards the stage where Trump was speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania. In the attack, one rally attendee was killed, and two other spectators were critically injured. Trump himself was grazed in the ear by a bullet.



According to state voter records, Crooks was a registered Republican, and the upcoming November 5 election would have been his first opportunity to vote in a presidential race. Crooks lived about an hour from the shooting site. On July 14, the Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace over Bethel Park for "special security reasons." Records also show that at 17, Crooks made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic politicians, earmarked for the Progressive Turnout Project, which aims to rally Democrats to vote.

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Crooks' father, Matthew Crooks, 53, expressed his shock to CNN and stated that he would wait to speak with law enforcement before commenting further. Thomas Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, where he received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative. A video from his graduation ceremony shows Crooks receiving his diploma, wearing glasses and a black gown, and posing with a school official. Reuters could not immediately verify the video's authenticity.



Law enforcement officials revealed that Crooks carried no identification at the shooting site and had to be identified through other means. "We’re looking at photographs right now and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation," said Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge, during a press briefing.

USA Today reported that dozens of law enforcement vehicles were stationed outside Crooks' residence listed on his voter registration record. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were present, and a bomb squad was deployed. The perimeter of the suspect's residence was guarded by yellow police caution tape, with an Alleghany County Police vehicle parked outside.


“It’s insanity that anyone would do this,” said Dan Maloney, a 30-year-old resident from the area, as quoted by USA Today. Reuters was unable to immediately identify social media accounts or other online postings by Crooks. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, did not respond to questions about whether any accounts related to the suspect had been removed.

Crooks was positioned on the roof of a manufacturing plant approximately 130 yards from the stage at Butler Farm Show grounds. Secret Service snipers shot him, and an AR-style rifle was later recovered. Bethel Park is about 40 miles south of Butler. The motive behind Crooks' actions remains unclear.