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.

Published on: Aug 9, 2024, 22:37:45 IST

By Sumanti Sen

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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.

New records detail Thomas Crooks' ‘intense preparation’ for attack (Bethel Park School District via AP)

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.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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