FBI Identifies Shooter at Trump Rally as Thomas Matthew Crooks
The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, a registered Republican and political contributor to Democrats, as the shooter at Trump's rally. Crooks was killed by Secret Service agents.
Written By Halle Abbott // EEW Magazine
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty)
The FBI has identified the gunman involved in Saturday's attack on former U.S. President Donald Trump as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20. Crooks, who was fatally shot by Secret Service agents at the scene, was a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, approximately 35 miles south of Butler, where Trump was holding his rally.
Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle, fired on Trump from a rooftop near the rally's security perimeter. Secret Service agents responded immediately, resulting in Crooks' death, according to law enforcement officials.
Credit: Gene J. Puskar/AP
FBI officials disclosed Crooks' identity in a statement released early Sunday. Records indicate he was registered to vote as a Republican in Pennsylvania. Public records show that he made a $15 donation to the liberal political action committee ActBlue on January 20, 2021, the day of President Joe Biden's inauguration. This year's presidential election would have been the first in which Crooks was eligible to vote.
It has been 43 years since the last assassination attempt on a serving US president when Ronald Reagan was shot in the lung but survived.
The Oversight Committee, the main investigative board of the US House of Representatives, has summoned US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify at a hearing on 22 July.
"Americans demand answers about the assassination attempt of President Trump," the panel said in a statement on social media.
A campaign rally site for Trump is left empty and littered with debris after assassination attempt. (Credit: Evan Vucci/AP)
At a news conference earlier, FBI special agent Kevin Rojek said “it is surprising” that the gunman was able to open fire on the stage before the Secret Service killed him.
Eyewitnesses at the rally described a chaotic and “bloody” scene as attendees attempted to provide first aid to those wounded by the gunfire. The attack resulted in one fatality among the rally attendees and left two others in critical condition. Trump sustained a minor injury, a bullet grazing the upper part of his ear, and subsequently flew back to Newark, New Jersey, late Saturday night.
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to local media reports and a video of the commencement ceremony. His father, Matthew Crooks, contacted by CNN late Saturday, stated he was trying to understand the situation but would wait to speak with law enforcement before making any further comments.
Special Agent Kevin Rojek, in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, noted that Crooks had no identification on him at the time of his death, necessitating the use of DNA and biometric verification to confirm his identity. This was stated during a press conference held before Crooks' identity was publicly disclosed.
The investigation is ongoing, with multiple federal and state agencies involved. The FBI has requested that anyone with information, photos, or videos related to the incident submit them via a tip line or the agency's website.
