Why was the shooter able to position himself seemingly undisturbed? What motivated him to commit the crime? Investigators are now working at full speed. The shooter’s party affiliation is also being investigated.
Why did a 20-year-old shoot former President Donald Trump? What motivated the perpetrator, Thomas Matthew Crooks from the state of Pennsylvania, to carry out this apparently planned assassination attempt on the Republican? Investigators from the FBI and other security agencies are working hard to find answers to this question.
“They’re basically going to write his biography, they’re going to find out what his mental state was like over the last five to ten years, what he did, what he was up to, whether he went to school,” said investigative expert Steve Moore on US broadcaster CNN. They would also take a close look at his religion, his finances and all of his online activities and all other relevant aspects of his life, he continued.
In addition, investigators should be able to quickly determine whether the shooter had purchased his weapon legally and was currently allowed to own it. Purchasing firearms, including semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles, is relatively easy in the United States. This is one of the reasons why there is significantly more gun crime in the United States.
The FBI has identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was killed by security forces, said the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the former president.
The New York Times and the Washington Post both reported that the man was registered as a Republican. However, he is said to have donated to the Democrats at least once. According to the New York Times, the young man is said to have graduated from high school in Bethel Park in 2022.
According to experts, investigators will also look into how the shooter was able to position himself unnoticed in an “elevated position” outside the venue, relatively close to Trump, and fire several shots from there. The Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump is protected by the Secret Service – but the security measures are not as extensive as for a sitting president.
The idea that a shooter could position himself so close to a sitting president seems unlikely given the massive security measures and the patrolling of a wide area around event venues.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
