Former President Donald Trump was recently attacked by a man identified as Crooks. Since then the internet has been buzzing with the news about the shooter and the motive behind it.
Thomas Matthew Crooks
Thomas Matthew Crooks is the man who attacked Donald Trump during a rally. He didn’t have any ID on him, therefore the investigators used DNA to identify him. Crooks was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, which is about 70 kilometers (43 miles) away from where the attack happened. He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and even won a $500 prize for math and science. Crooks worked in a kitchen at a local nursing home, not far from his home. He was a registered Republican but had also donated $15 to a liberal campaign group called ActBlue in 2021.
On the day of the attack, Crooks was wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a popular YouTube channel about guns and explosives. Law enforcement officials believe the gun he used was bought by his father at least six months ago. After the shooting, suspicious devices were found in Crooks’ car, and bomb technicians had to secure and investigate them.
Why did Crooks attack Trump?
Right now, investigators are still trying to figure out why Crooks attacked Trump. Kevin Rojek, an FBI special agent, said they haven’t identified a clear motive yet and that it might take months to understand what led Crooks to do this. Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, is also trying to understand what happened. He plans to talk to law enforcement before making any public statements about his son. Police have sealed off the road to Crooks’ house, where he lived with his parents, and are investigating possible bomb threats in the area.
The news about the attack is all over the internet, as one person was killed, and two others were injured. All three were adult men in the audience, but their names haven’t been released. A GoFundMe page set up by Trump’s campaign has raised over $340,000 to help the families of the injured. Trump himself was shot, with the bullet grazing the upper part of his right ear. He described feeling the bullet rip through his skin. Blood was visible on his ear and face as he was rushed away by protection officers. Trump later said he was doing well and thanked law enforcement officers for their quick response.
A witness told the BBC that he saw a man, identified as Crooks, with a rifle on a rooftop before the shooting began. Video footage captured the moment when Crooks started shooting with an AR-style rifle. After the attack, a Secret Service sniper shot and killed Crooks. Footage shows officers approaching his body on the roof. The FBI is still looking into the exact type of gun used and how many shots were fired.
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