In November, Thomas Matthew Crooks was about to reach a political milestone: the first presidential election in which he was old enough to vote.
Crooks, a 20-year-old who lives in a swing state, had already shown possible signs of interest in politics, having made a small donation as a teenager and registering to vote just a week after turning 18.
But instead of voting this year, according to law enforcement authorities, Crooks traveled an hour north of his home, climbed onto the roof of a building and opened fire on former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally, nearly killing him. -O.
Crooks’ attack, which killed one bystander and seriously injured two others, shook American politics to its core, with elected officials on both sides condemning the violence and warning of the dangers of the country’s deep polarization.
So far, investigators have not found any evidence on the young man’s social media or other writings that could help identify the motive for the attempted murder, law enforcement officials say.
But interviews from CNN with more than half a dozen of Crooks’ former classmates and neighbors portrayed him as quiet and aloof, with classmates remembering him as a misfit in high school.
Additionally, a review of public records suggests he may have had differing political leanings, with the young man registering to vote as a Republican but making a small donation to a Democratic-leaning group.
Crooks lived in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, about an hour’s drive south of the Trump rally where law enforcement officials say he shot the former president.
He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a local media report and a video of the school’s graduation ceremony.
Jason Kohler, 21, who attended the same school, told CNN that Crooks was bullied by other students and seemed to be lonely.
Crooks had “no facial expression” when he walked through the school hallways, Kohler said. “He wasn’t, like, with the clique, so he always had, I guess, a target on his back,” he added.
Another former student of the school, Sarah D’Angelo, remembered Crooks as “a quiet kid, not obviously political or violent in any way.” She said the only time he spoke to her was when her class was waiting for the graduation ceremony to begin.
A third classmate, who asked not to be identified, said Crooks was very intelligent, took honors classes and was shy. She said he had a group of friends who were very conservative, some of whom wore Trump hats.
“There was definitely some talk about him just looking a little different,” the classmate said of Crooks. “Almost a retro nerd vibe.” he added.
Crooks’ high school experience was disrupted by the pandemic, with students being out of school for months in 2020 and allowed to study remotely after that, the classmate said. She added that she didn’t remember seeing him much during her second or third year.
When she learned that Crooks had been identified as the Trump rally shooter, the colleague said, “I was shocked — I just couldn’t believe he would do something so bold, considering he was such a quiet, reserved person.”
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Trump shot in the ear during rally in Pennsylvania Credit: 07/13/2024REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Former President Donald Trump was removed from the stage at a rally in Pennsylvania, United States, this Saturday (13). Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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Donald Trump is carried off the stage with a wound on his face and was bleeding. Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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Loud bangs were heard before Trump fell. Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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Secret Service agents then helped him to his feet. Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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Subsequently, the former president was taken to a vehicle and removed from the scene. Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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Journalists at the scene reported hearing “a series of loud explosions or bangs” before Secret Service agents rushed toward Trump. Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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Image shows shooter who attacked Trump during rally; he was on the roof of a nearby building Credit: Reproduction/CNN
The weapon Crooks used in the shooting was an AR-style rifle, according to a person familiar with the investigation. According to law enforcement officials, the gun was traced to the young man’s father, which helped determine the shooter’s identity because he was not carrying identification.
When contacted by CNN on Saturday night, Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but would “wait until I talk to the police” before talking about his son. He could not be contacted again Sunday.
Federal Election Commission records show that a donor listed as Thomas Crooks, with the shooter’s address, gave $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a Democratic-aligned political action committee, on Inauguration Day in January 2021, when the U.S. I was 17 years old.
A spokesperson for the Progressive Turnout Project said in an email that the group received the donation “in response to an email about attending the grand opening” and that “the email address associated with the contribution made only one contribution and was removed from our lists 2 years ago.”
“We unequivocally condemn political violence in all its forms and denounce anyone who chooses violence over peaceful political action,” the spokesperson wrote.
Later that year, a week after turning 18, Crooks registered to vote as a Republican, according to a listing in the Pennsylvania voter database that matched his name, age and address.
The young man has only voted once, in the 2022 midterm general election, an Allegheny County spokesperson told CNN.
Crooks’ parents worked as social workers, according to state licensing records. Her father is registered to vote as a Libertarian and her mother is registered as a Democrat, state voter records show.
The young man shot Trump while he was on the roof of a nearby building, outside the rally’s security perimeter, before being killed by US Secret Service agents, according to law enforcement officials.
Police went to Crooks’ family home on a quiet street in Bethel Park on Saturday night. Explosive material was found at his home, as well as in his car, law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation told CNN.
A brief video posted to Facebook by the Crooks school district in 2022 showed the young man taking a computer coding course and explaining a concept to a classmate.
Crooks can also be seen sitting in front of an economics class in a TV advertisement for investment company BlackRock that was filmed at his school. The teachers featured in both videos declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the social media platform Discord said in a statement that it has identified an account that appears to be linked to Crooks. The account “was rarely used and we found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident or discuss his political views,” the spokesperson wrote.
Young man worked in a nursing home
Crooks worked as a nutrition aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home less than a mile from her family’s home, according to Marcie Grimm, the center’s administrator.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement, as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean,” Grimm said in a statement.
A colleague who worked with Crooks at the nursing home and who asked not to be named described him in an interview as “the sweetest guy.”
This week, the colleague said, the two worked together to find an easier way for nursing home residents to open packets of ranch dressing, an act the colleague said was indicative of how thoughtful Crooks was.
“Those stupid packets of ranch in the kitchen — no one can open them,” said the classmate, who also went to high school with Crooks.
“Earlier this week, he was helping me with a bunch of sick old ladies (put ranch on their salads), he added.
Crooks, the colleague said, never expressed political views at work and was not “a radical,” stating, “It’s hard to see everything that’s going on online because he was a really, really good person who did a really bad thing, and I I just wanted to know why.”
Political scenario in the region
Bethel Park is a predominantly white suburb that is wealthier than the surrounding Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
Dan Grzybek, a county board representative whose district includes Bethel Park, described the region as politically mixed — according to county voter records, President Joe Biden won the district that includes the Crooks’ home with just 52% of the vote. .
Grzybek, who lives nearby, said he had a “very pleasant” conversation with the shooter’s parents while canvassing before being elected last year. He described the community as “incredibly safe” and “close-knit,” and said he hoped the shooting was not “what Bethel Park is remembered for.”
“All that happens is that things like this increase the already extreme political polarization we experience and increase the risk of future violence in retaliation,” Grzybek said.
Andrew Bianco, who lives two houses down from the Crooks family, agreed that the area was politically diverse, with some residents flying Trump flags and others flying Biden flags.
But he said he doesn’t remember seeing political signs outside the Crooks’ residence and only saw the shooter’s father when he went out to mow the lawn.
“If something happened, you’d say, ‘Does anyone live there?’” Bianco said.
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