Trump shooter posted on gaming platform Steam before act: ‘July 13 will be my premiere’

Thomas Matthew Crooks , who shot former President Donald Trump and other attendees at a Pennsylvania rally, allegedly posted on the popular online gaming platform Steam that "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds."

Police found the message on his laptop along with searches for "Trump," "Biden," "when is the DNC convention," and the "July 13 Trump rally," according to a Secret Service and FBI briefing to senators confirmed to the Washington Examiner.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate told House lawmakers at a briefing Wednesday that the shooter had an account on an online gaming platform, and his profile picture included the words “July 13 will be my premiere,” according to a source familiar with the briefing. The same source said the FBI has not provided any new updates since yesterday.

The FBI has not responded to a request for comment on reports that the account was fake.

No motive has been established.

Police found no other evidence indicating the shooter had a particular ideology, but they did learn he had a second cellphone with 27 contacts, all of which police are tracking down. He was a registered Republican who had last voted in 2022. He also donated $15 to a liberal group in 2021.

Included in the new details was that the shooter rode his bike around the Trump rally to scout it out and ditched it in view of law enforcement, according to the New York Post. The bike was found abandoned yards away from the building where he took shots at Trump, and he had a backpack, shoes, and a shirt near it.

Crooks's parents contacted law enforcement hours before the shooting to report he was missing and that they were concerned with his welfare. It's unknown if they knew anything else.

Police have not said what actions were taken after they were contacted.

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Several investigations are underway into both the shooter's actions and the reaction of the Secret Service, an agency that failed to protect Trump and people at the rally.

While there was speculation that there would be a large polling impact from the shooting with a bump for Trump, nothing significant has taken fruition, though Trump maintains a lead over President Joe Biden as calls for the latter to step down grow.

Ashley Oliver contributed to this reporting.