According to investigators, the young man was registered as a voter. republicanalthough it was later discovered that years earlier he had made a small donation to a Democratic-aligned group. Crooks lived in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, located almost 60 kilometers south of the rally where he shot the former president.
Who is Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump
According to local media, he graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. The 20-year-old attacker was eligible to vote as a Republican, according to a listing in the Pennsylvania voter database.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone with information that could assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online,” U.S. authorities said.
They also said they are gathering information about the possible reason why the attacker shot Trump from the roof of a building near the former president’s rally.
Assassination of Donald Trump: What weapon did Thomas Matthew Crooks use in the attack?
The shooter used a AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and fired from a distance of about 200-300 meters, according to what the network was able to find out. CBS.
A witness said he saw a man with a rifle on a roof minutes before the shots were fired, according to information provided by the police. BBC.
Crooks had no criminal record in Pennsylvania public court records. He also emerged as having donated $15 to a progressive political action committee on January 20, 2021, the same day President Biden was sworn into office, information that was confirmed by campaign finance records cited by the agency.
His father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN that I was trying to figure out what had happened and that he would not make any statements until he spoke to the police.
Why Thomas Matthew Crooks attacked Donald Trump in the attack
The special agent Kevin Rojek indicated that Crooks He was not carrying identification and investigators used DNA to formally identify him. He added that The motive for the attempted murder has not yet been identified.
Police surrounded the area around the family home on Sunday morning. Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park and the FBI is investigating the incident as an attempted murder and has designated the location as a crime scene.
The location from which Crooks fired is outside the security perimeter where Trump was holding an event attended by thousands of supporters. Because of the attack, One member of the public was killed by gunfire and two others were seriously injured. All of them are men, the FBI said, but their names were not released.
Trump He was treated at a local hospital but has since been released. “Most importantly, I want to offer my condolences to the family of the person who died at the rally and also to the family of another person who was seriously injured. It’s unbelievable that such an act could take place in our country,” the Republican candidate said on the social network Truth.
Source: Ambito
