TOne-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified by the FBI on Sunday as the shooter behind the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night that left a bystander dead and two others seriously injured.
Read more about the Trump Rally shooting
Crooks was killed at the scene by a Secret Service sniper and investigations continue into his motives, which remain unclear.
Here’s what we know so far.
‘No indication of any mental health issues’
O FBI says Crooks was not known to the agency before the incident.
In a call with reporters Sunday night, FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek he said there was “no indication of any mental health issues” regarding the shooter.
Limited presence on social media
Rojek also said authorities “have not yet identified an ideology” associated with the bandits. The agency is interviewing his family and friends and investigating his phone and internet history for any evidence as it seeks to understand his motivations.
The criminals reportedly had a limited presence on social media, although a spokesperson for the platform Discord said in a statement shared with TIME that the company “identified” a “rarely used” account that appears to be linked to Crooks. The spokesperson said the company is cooperating with authorities but that it “found no evidence” that the account was used “to plan this incident, promote violence or discuss its political views.”
President Joe Biden on Sunday urged people to avoid making assumptions. “Let the FBI do its job and partner agencies do their job,” he said.
Registered Republican, Donor to Progressives
State public voting records show that Crooks was a registered Republican, while the Federal Election Commission documents show that a donor with the same name and address gave $15 to ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising outfit, on January 20, 2021 — the date of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The donation was allocated to the Progressive Participation Project.
A spokesperson for the Progressive Turnout Project said CNN that “the email address associated with the contribution made only one contribution and was unsubscribed from our lists 2 years ago.” They added: “We unequivocally condemn political violence in all its forms and denounce anyone who chooses violence over peaceful political action.”
From a wealthy suburb of Pittsburgh
The FBI identified Crooks’ hometown as Bethel Park, a Pittsburgh suburb about an hour south of where Trump’s rally was held. Dan Gryzbek, a city council member who represents the area, described the neighborhood where Crooks’ family lived as “firmly middle class, maybe upper middle class” for the New York Times. According to Census BureauBethel Park’s population is 93% white, with a per capita income 1.3 times that of the rest of Pennsylvania.
The address of Crooks’ family home was in a district that President Biden won in 2020 with 52% of the vote to Trump’s 46%. Crooks’ father is a registered Libertarian and his mother is a registered Democrat, according to voter records, CNN and the Times reported. Both parents are licensed professional counselors, according to state records.
Seems to have acted alone
“Although the investigation to date indicates that the shooter acted alone,” the FBI said Sunday, “the FBI continues to conduct logical investigative activities to determine whether there were any co-conspirators associated with this attack. At this time, there are no current public safety concerns.”
Used an AR-15 style rifle legally purchased by his father
Multiple law enforcement officials said the firearm used by Crooks in the shooting was an AR-style rifle that was purchased legally by Crooks’ father. Crooks’ family is cooperating with investigators, Rojek said.
See more information: How the AR-15 Rifle Became America’s Most Dangerous Weapon
Rifle enthusiast since adolescence
According to photos and videos from the shooting scene, Crooks was wearing a shirt associated with Demolition Ranch, a popular gun channel on YouTube. (Matt Carriker, the channel’s host, said on X that he will make a public statement soon, but remains incredulous.)
Crooks tried out for the junior varsity rifle team as a freshman, CBS reported, but teammate Jameson Myers said Crooks didn’t make the team and never tried out again.
Jameson Murphy, another former classmate, told the New York Post Office that Crooks “was such a comically bad shot that he couldn’t make the team and left after the first day.” Another colleague also told the Publish that the rifle team coach had concerns about Crooks based on “some crude jokes” Crooks made and how he interacted with other people. “Our old coach was a defenseman, he trained Navy snipers, so he knew people. He knew when someone wasn’t the best person,” said the colleague.
Crooks, however, belonged to a local shooting club, the Clairton Sports Club, which has a 200-yard rifle range among its installations. The club confirmed Crooks’ membership in a statement provided to several media outlets that warned of violence and offered condolences to the victims, but said it could not offer further details while investigations remain ongoing.
Explosive materials left behind
The FBI said that when it searched Crooks’ home and vehicle to collect additional evidence, suspicious devices were found and were “rendered safe” by bomb technicians. According to Washington Post, authorities said a “rudimentary” explosive device was found in his vehicle and has since been deemed safe and is being analyzed. The car, the Wall Street Journal reported, was parked near the rally.
Sources counted Fox News that authorities found bomb-making materials in Crooks’ home.
A nursing home aide with an engineering science degree
Crooks graduated from Community College of Allegheny County with an associate’s degree in engineering science just over two months ago, a school official confirmed to New York Times.
Crooks worked as a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. “We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement,” Marcie Grimm, the facility’s administrator, said in a statement to several media outlets, adding that Crooks “performed his work without concern and his background check was clean.”
A nursing home colleague described Crooks as caring and apolitical at work to CNN. “It’s hard to see everything that’s going on online,” the colleague said, “because he was a really, really good person who did a really bad thing, and I just wanted to know why.”
A quiet and lonely nerd in high school
Bethel Park School District confirmed in a declaration that Crooks will graduate from Bethel Park High in 2022. He offered his condolences to the victims of the shooting and said he is cooperating with police investigations.
Former colleagues, speaking to the media, painted a portrait of a social outcast who kept a low profile.
“He didn’t really fit in with everyone,” colleague Sarah D’Angelo told Wall Street Journal. “He was there, but I can’t think of anyone who knew him well,” another classmate said. BBC.
Crooks was “a loner” who “sat alone at lunch,” said colleague Jason Kohler ABC news. He regularly wore camouflage clothing and was “bullied” for the way he dressed, Kohler said. NBC News.
“There were definitely rumors about him looking a little different,” another classmate, who asked not to be identified, told CNN. “Almost a nerdy retro vibe.”
Summer Barkley, another classmate, told the BBC that Crooks “always got good grades in his tests” and was “very passionate about history.”
Zach Bradford, another classmate, described Crooks to New York Times as “incredibly smart” and said his high school views seemed “slightly right.”
Most — but not all — colleagues expressed disbelief in Crooks’ involvement in the Trump rally shooting.
“He never talked openly about his political views or how much he hated Trump or anything like that,” D’Angelo added to Wall Street Journal.
“I was shocked – I just couldn’t believe he would do something so bold, considering he was such a quiet and reserved person,” the anonymous colleague told CNN.
“I will say he was definitely nerdy, for sure, but he never showed that he was scary,” co-star Mark Sigafoos told CBS. “He looked like he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
But Julianna Grooms, who graduated a year after Crooks, told Wall Street Journal that Crooks stood out for his strangeness. “If someone said something to his face, he would just stare at them,” she said. “People would say he was the student who would destroy the high school.”
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
