Authorities combing through the online search history of the man who shot former President Donald Trump have reportedly found clues suggesting that he may have had a depressive disorder and that Trump wasn’t the only public figure he was keeping his eyes on.
Thomas Matthew Crooks had searched “major depressive disorder” on his electronic devices and looked up dates of Trump’s appearances and the Democratic National Convention before opening fire at Saturday’s Trump rally in Pennsylvania, The New York Times reported, citing officials with knowledge of the ongoing investigation.
In addition to Trump, the 20-year-old shooter who was killed by law enforcement also searched for President Joe Biden and several other political figures, including a British royal whom authorities did not identify.
Thomas Crooks is seen in a 2020 high school yearbook photo.
In phone conversations with members of Congress on Wednesday, FBI officials said Crooks appeared to be broadly interested in powerful and famous people and that he didn’t seem to have any obvious political leanings. He also looked up FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to the Times.
Authorities in their call with lawmakers also addressed ominous messages found posted on the gaming website Steam that appeared to foreshadow the shooting. Those messages are believed to be fake, however, law enforcement officials said.
“July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” someone posted on the gaming platform, according to Fox News .
According to a review of the poster’s user profile by NBC News, the account that made that comment changed its name to Thomas M. Crooks on Sunday, a day after the shooting.
A home believed to be connected to the shooter is pictured in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Investigators are hunting for any clues about what may have driven Thomas Matthew Crooks to try to assassinate Trump.
A law enforcement official briefed on the ongoing investigation told The Associated Press that there have not been any meaningful clues found that point to a motive behind the shooting, which killed one man in the crowd.
What is known is that Crooks was a registered Republican but had also given $15 to a progressive political action committee in 2021, just as Biden was sworn into office, federal campaign finance reports show.
Those who knew the shooter described him to reporters as quiet and intelligent. Some have said Crooks was bullied at school. He didn’t have a criminal record. He tried out for his high school rifle team as a freshman but was rejected for poor marksmanship, the AP previously reported .
A search of Crooks’ vehicle parked near the rally uncovered explosive devices connected to a radio receiver unit, suggesting that they could be detonated from a distance, the Times previously reported , citing law enforcement officials.
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