After three days, the portrait of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who narrowly missed assassinating former President Donald Trump with a high-velocity bullet, remained enigmatic. Crooks was an intelligent loner with few friends, a minimal social media presence, and no apparent political motives.
Despite the FBI's extensive investigation, which included accessing Crooks' cellphone, scouring his computer, home, and car, and interviewing over 100 people, the reason behind his attack at Trump's rally on Saturday remained unclear. Crooks' shot grazed Trump's ear, but no concrete motive was found. A law enforcement official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that Crooks' phone provided no significant clues about his motives or possible accomplices. This lack of explanation prompted comparisons to the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, where no motive was ever determined.
Crooks, described as a slight build with wire-rimmed glasses and thin hair, was known as "Tom." Classmates at Bethel Park High School remembered him as smart but reclusive, often wearing headphones and sitting alone at lunch. He was frequently bullied for his clothing choices and for continuing to wear a mask post-COVID.
Jason Kohler, a classmate, mentioned that Crooks was an outcast and bullied daily. After graduating in 2022, Crooks earned an associate’s degree in engineering science with honors from the Community College of Allegheny County and worked as a dietary aide at a nursing home.
A 1997 Secret Service study found no single indicator of individuals attempting assassinations but noted that two-thirds were social isolates like Crooks. Most attackers had handled weapons but lacked formal training. Crooks, rejected from his high school rifle team for poor marksmanship, was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, which has a range for high-powered rifles. Club president Bill Sellitto expressed regret over the incident, emphasizing it was contrary to the club's values.
Crooks fired at Trump from about 147 yards with an AR-15 style rifle. His father, Matthew Crooks, bought the gun in 2013. The day before the shooting, Thomas practiced at the sportsman’s club. On the day of the attack, he bought 50 rounds of ammo, drove to Butler, Pennsylvania, and parked a third of a mile from the rally. Wearing a gray T-shirt with a firearm-related YouTube channel logo, camo shorts, and a black belt, he walked around for 30 minutes before climbing onto a building's roof near the rally site. Crooks then fired two bursts at Trump, prompting a Secret Service sniper to return fire, killing him with a headshot.
Trump, who said a bullet clipped his ear, credited a last-second turn of his head for avoiding a fatal wound. The attack also killed 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore and seriously wounded two others. In the absence of a clear motive, both political sides speculated, with Republicans blaming Democrats for their rhetoric against Trump and Democrats pointing to Crooks' GOP registration and Trump's inflammatory rhetoric.
The Crooks home remained under police watch, and neighbors, like Melanie Maxwell, who was distributing "Trump 2024" signs, expressed their shock and called for a thorough investigation into security lapses. Maxwell attributed Trump's survival to divine intervention.