Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a bullied loner, his former classmates have said. They added that Crooks had a penchant for hunting outfits and video games.
Crooks, 20, was killed by Secret Service snipers after he opened fire on the former president. The suspect graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. Crooks’ former classmate Jason Kohler told KDKA that the suspect was “relentlessly” bullied. Crooks often wore “‘hunting’” outfits to class.
Crooks reportedly donated $15 to the liberal ActBlue political action committee back in 2021, on Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day. The following September, he turned 18 and registered with the Republican Party, according to online state records.
‘I would have pegged him as a Republican’
“He didn’t seem like really weird or anything. I would have pegged him as a Republican,” a former classmate of Crooks told New York Post after the shooting.
“He never outwardly spoke about his political views or how much he hated Trump or anything,” Sarah D’Angelo, another Bethel Park High graduate, told The Wall Street Journal. D’Angelo added that Crooks had “a few friends” but “didn’t have a full friend group.” He often played video games on his laptop during homeroom period at school, D’Angelo recalled.
{{/usCountry}}“He never outwardly spoke about his political views or how much he hated Trump or anything,” Sarah D’Angelo, another Bethel Park High graduate, told The Wall Street Journal. D’Angelo added that Crooks had “a few friends” but “didn’t have a full friend group.” He often played video games on his laptop during homeroom period at school, D’Angelo recalled.
{{/usCountry}}Crooks reportedly did not appear in the 2022 Bethel Park High School yearbook. However, there is a video showing him accepting his diploma on stage that spring. He was even handed a $500 National Math and Science Initiative Star Award during his graduating year, according to TribLive.
On Saturday, Crooks scaled the roof of a manufacturing plant about 130 yards from the Butler rally site before opening fire. The firearm he used, an AK-style rifle, had been purchased by his father. While Trump was injured, a former volunteer fire chief, Corey Comperatore, lost his life in the attack.
Crook’s car was parked not far from the grounds where the rally was held. Investigators discovered explosives in the vehicle. A motive for the attack has yet to be determined.