Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents as he is helped off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
After former President Donald Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt Saturday at a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, where one rally attendee was killed and two others were left in critical condition, the FBI has identified the shooter armed with a rifle as a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, a Pittsburgh suburb.
State records show that Thomas Matthew Crooks was registered as a Republican in Allegheny County, but Law&Crime can also confirm that Crooks donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project through ActBlue on the day Joe Biden was inaugurated as president in 2021.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was a registered Republican, according to Pennsylvania records.
As of 2021, Crooks was listed as not employed.
Thomas Crooks' donation to Progressive Turnout Project (FEC records)
The Pennsylvania voter information and the FEC donation data show the same Milford Drive address for Crooks in Bethel Park, a street that authorities swarmed in the aftermath of the shooting on Saturday night as part of a bomb investigation.
Bomb-making materials were found in the vehicle and at the home of the suspect in the Trump rally shooting, law enforcement officials told the AP. https://t.co/Am3NgTGmPw
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 14, 2024
Local reports say that Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School as recently as 2022.
#BREAKING: Two of my contacts in Bethel Park just sent me two recent yearbook photos of the gunman, Thomas Crooks.
We are LIVE outside the street where he lived, as law enforcement swarms his neighborhood after evacuating those who live nearby. @KDKA pic.twitter.com/lFi1OtW5Yu
— MEGHAN SCHILLER (@MeghanKDKA) July 14, 2024
#NEW: Bethel Park School District confirms gunman Thomas Crooks graduated in 2022. Statement below 👇🏻 @KDKA pic.twitter.com/SjxqhWSPgg
— MEGHAN SCHILLER (@MeghanKDKA) July 14, 2024
KDKA's Meghan Schiller reported a statement from the Bethel Park School District confirming that Crooks graduated two years ago.
"The school district wishes to express its sincere wishes for a speedy and full recovery for Mr. Trump and for those in attendance at the Saturday event who may have been physically harmed or emotionally impacted by these tragic events," the reported statement said. "We offer special condolences to the family of at least one attendee who was killed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time."
The district also said if would "cooperate fully with the active law enforcement investigation."
Here is the latest information from our investigation. We are grateful to the Secret Service team and our law enforcement partners for their swift action. Our thoughts go out to the families affected by this tragedy. pic.twitter.com/E8FazqtUVZ
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) July 14, 2024
Schiller also reported that the shooter's ex-classmates recalled him being bullied and wearing "hunting" clothes to school.
#NEW: We are hearing from the first classmate of Thomas Crooks. His Bethel Park classmate described him as a loner who was bullied relentlessly and wore "hunting" outfits often in class. @KDKA pic.twitter.com/mmIYwomjGJ
— MEGHAN SCHILLER (@MeghanKDKA) July 14, 2024
TMZ obtained video of the shooter on a rooftop as he opened fire.
The attempted Trump assassin aiming a rifle from a rooftop seconds before he was taken out (TMZ/screengrab)
During the video, you can hear the screams of horrified onlookers and the sounds of multiple gunshots. In a matter of seconds, what sounds like return sniper fire from the Secret Service took the shooter out.
"He's down," one witness can be heard saying repeatedly.
After the shooting, Trump said on Truth Social that "it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening."
"We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families," he said. "We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin."
He also credited the Secret Service and all law enforcement on scene for a "rapid response." There will doubtless be investigations in the coming days and weeks as to the Secret Service's security preparations for the event.
The Trump campaign has also "authorized" a GoFundMe fundraiser for the shooting and their families. More than $700,000 has been donated as of Sunday morning.
Officials have since announced that former Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company chief Corey Comperatore was killed while protecting his family from the gunfire.
Corey Comperatore, the man killed at Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally, "died a hero" and dove onto his family to protect them when the shooting happened, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says.
Comperatore, a former fire chief, was "an avid supporter of the former president, and… pic.twitter.com/OIuJtotIMN
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 14, 2024
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