Trump rally shooting: New records detail Thomas Crooks' ‘intense preparation’ for attack, ‘He focused almost…’
Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks reportedly practised firing rounds at his local gun club dozens of times, including on Christmas Day.
Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks reportedly practised firing rounds at his local gun club dozens of times, including on Christmas Day, in the days leading up to the attack at the Pennsylvania rally. Crooks, 20, is believed to have dedicated about 80% of his time to rifle practice as he visited the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in Pennsylvania, records obtained and released by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Thursday, August 8, has revealed.
Thomas Matthew Crooks’ ‘intense preparation’
“He focused almost exclusively on the rifle range throughout 2024,” Grassley’s office said in a statement, according to New York Post. The statement added that the newly released logs proved that Crooks was involved in “intense preparation” before the attack, where he attempted to assassinate Donald Trump.
Crooks signed up as a member of the gun club last August. According to records, he logged 43 visits in total.
Within just the first four months of his membership, Crooks signed in for practice 20 times. He averaged about three to six practices a month in 2024, the attendance logs revealed.
Crooks reportedly never brought a guest with him during the practice. He visited the range on Christmas Day and Halloween last year, and also on Valentine’s Day this year. His last visit was logged at 2:45 pm on July 12, which is a day before he opened fire at the rally.
Crooks was killed by Secret Service snipers after he opened fire, wounding Trump and killing firefighter Corey Comperatore. Two other people were injured – 57-year-old attendee David Dutch and James Copenhaver, 74.
The FBI recently revealed that Crooks is believed to have shared “antisemitic” ideas and embraced “political violence” on social media. It added that the “investigative team is still working to verify this account to determine if it did in fact belong to the shooter.”