What we know about the gunman who opened fire at the Trump rally

Thomas Matthew Crooks, identified by law enforcement and the FBI as the gunman who opened fire while former President Donald Trump was speaking at a rally Saturday, registered to vote as a Republican as soon as he turned 18, and also contributed to a Democratic political action committee.

A 2022 high school graduate, he once tried out for but did not make his school’s rifle team and had been working at a nursing home.

Crooks, 20, was shot and killed by a U.S. Secret Service sniper within moments of sending a volley of rounds toward the podium in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was holding a campaign rally. Law enforcement officials are treating the shooting as an attempted assassination and an act of domestic terrorism.

Public records show Crooks registered to vote in September 2021, the month he turned 18. He registered as a Republican. Federal Election Commission records show he donated $15 to ActBlue, a Democratic political action committee, eight months earlier on the day of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Crooks last voted in the November 2022 general election.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, the Bethel Park School District said.

“The school district wishes to express its sincere wishes for a speedy and complete recovery for Mr. Trump and those in attendance at the Saturday event who may have been physically harmed or emotionally impacted by these tragic events,” the district said in a statement. “We offer special condolences to the family of Mr. Corey Comperatore, who was killed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.”

Credit: AP

He tried out for his high school rifle team but didn’t make it, CBS News reported.

The administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, where Crooks worked as a dietary aide, said Crooks had a clean background check when he was hired and that she was she was “shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement” in the shooting.

“Due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further on any specifics,” the statement from administrator Marcie Grimm said . “Our thoughts and prayers go out to former President Trump and the victims impacted by this terrible tragedy. We condemn all acts of violence.”

Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, has declined to comment to the media, saying he was waiting to speak to law enforcement. Records show Matthew Crooks and his wife, Mary, are both licensed counselors in Pennsylvania. They also have a 22-year-old daughter.

Investigators believe the weapon used was bought by Crooks’ father at least six months ago, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

On Sunday afternoon, multiple outlets cited sources close to the investigation that Crooks had two explosive devices in the trunk of his car, which was found parked near the rally.

Records show Matthew Crooks is a registered Libertarian, while Mary Crooks is registered as a Democrat. Their daughter is registered as a Republican.

The Crooks live in Bethel Park, a middle-class suburb of Pittsburgh about 35 miles south of where the rally was held.

Online records indicate that the Crooks and their extended family have long lived in the Pittsburgh area. Thomas Crooks’ paternal grandfather was a barber, and his paternal grandmother was an accountant.

In a news conference Sunday afternoon, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he has spoken to the families of those killed and injured during the rally near Pittsburgh.

Shapiro said he received permission from the wife of the attendee who was killed, Corey Comperatore, and ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-mast in his memory.

”Corey was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. Most especially, Corey loved his family,” he said.

The governor also said political leaders should aim to set a better political tone with their messaging.

”Political disagreements can never, ever be addressed through violence,” he said. “All leaders need to take down the temperature and rise above the hateful rhetoric that exists,” he added.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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