Details start to emerge about shooter at Trump rally as investigation continues

(The Center Square) – U.S. Secret Service agents killed the 20-year-old Pennsylvania man who targeted former President Donald Trump at a rally on Saturday as investigators continue to search for a motive.

The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the shooter.

Crooks shot at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pa., Saturday evening. Trump was struck in the ear. The former president urged supporters to continue to "fight" as U.S. Secret Service agents moved him from the stage to a waiting vehicle. Trump later called for unity after the shooting.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park School District in 2022. Community members said Crooks lived with his parents, according to multiple media reports.

Crooks crawled on the roof of a manufacturing plant about 130 yards away from the stage at Butler Farm Show grounds, The New York Post reported . He fired five to seven shots before he was shot and killed by Secret Service agents.

A local police officer confronted Crooks on the roof shortly before the assassination attempt, the Associated Press reported Sunday. When Crooks pointed his rifle at the officer, the officer retreated, the AP reported. Crooks then began shooting at Trump.

Authorities found an AR-style semi-automatic rifle at the scene. Crooks was wearing a shirt for a gun-focused YouTube channel called Demolition Ranch.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that law enforcement found explosives inside Crooks' car, which was found parked near the Pennsylvania rally. Bomb technicians were investigating, the Journal reported.

Federal authorities have yet to reveal a motive for the shooting, but are investigating. As the work continues Sunday, investigators have made finding a motive and determining whether the shooter had accomplices top priorities.

Crooks was a registered Republican, according to state voter status records.

The shooter made one $15 donation to the liberal ActBlue political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, which was Biden’s Inauguration Day, the Intercept reported .

Police have blocked off the streets near Crooks’ house, according to media reports.