US & World

Would-Be Trump Assassin Identified

Twenty-year-old gunman fired shots at former president …

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Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are confirming the identity of the man who fired multiple rounds from a rifle at former U.S. president Donald Trump during an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania was confirmed by the agency as the “subject involved” in the shooting – which wounded the 2024 GOP nominee, killed one rally attendee and critically wounded two others.

“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

On Sunday morning, Trump issued a follow-up statement from his Truth Social platform thanking his supporters for their thoughts and prayers and saying “it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”

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Crooks – who squeezed off at least nine rounds from an AR-style rifle from the roof of a nearby building – was shot and killed by snipers with the U.S. Secret Service mere seconds after the shooting began. The Secret Service is the division of the U.S. Treasury Department charged with protecting current and former presidents – and their families. It is also the agency which oversees investigations into assassination attempts.

The attempt on Trump’s life was the first time a would-be assassin wounded a current or former president since Ronald Reagan was shot in the ribcage in Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1981. Like Trump, Reagan survived his assassination attempt.

Four U.S. presidents – Abraham Lincoln, (1865) James Garfield, (1881) William McKinley (1901) and John F. Kennedy (1963) – have been killed by assassins during the 248-year history of the American Republic.

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As we reported yesterday, Crooks was positioned on “a nearby rooftop – one located approximately 400 feet from where Trump was speaking.” In the moments just before the assassination attempt, multiple witnesses said they saw him scaling the building with a rifle and crawling into position.

“We notice a guy crawling, you know, Army … bear-crawling up the roof of the building beside us,” the man said in an interview with a BBC reporter. “So we’re standing there – we’re pointing at the guy crawling up the roof.”

“He had a rifle,” the man continued. “We could clearly see him with a rifle.”

The website TMZ posted a video of Crooks on the roof of the building – laying on his belly and apparently looking through a scope as he began firing shots at the rally.

The FBI provided no additional information about Crooks, although its agents – along with agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – were dispatched to the suspect’s home address in Bethel Park, approximately 42 miles south of Butler.

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RELATED | SHOTS FIRED AT DONALD TRUMP

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“This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the FBI noted in a statement, asking anyone with information that may assist its investigators, including photos or videos, to submit them online at FBI.gov/butler (or to call the agency at 1-800-CALL-FBI 1-800-225-5324).

The ATF issued a statement confirming it had been deployed “to assist the Secret Service and other law enforcement partners.”

“This is a top priority,” the statement noted. “We have no further comment at this time.”

Crooks was a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School, receiving the National Math & Science Initiative (NMS) “Star Award” for academic achievement. Videos posted online of him receiving his high school diploma showed a thin, wiry teenager wearing glasses.

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Subsequently released videos showed Crooks briefly appearing in a 2023 ad for BlackRock. That advertisement was filmed at Bethel Park High School.

Given his age, Crooks had never voted in a presidential election. And while Keystone State records indicate he was a registered Republican, three years ago he donated $15 to ActBlue – a platform which raises funds for Democratic candidates. Crooks’ donation to the platform was expressly earmarked for the Progressive Turnout Project, a group which exists to get liberal voters to the polls in critical swing states.

“Progressive Turnout Project is dedicated to mobilizing the Democratic Party and defending democracy,” the group’s website noted. “Our voter turnout initiatives are solely focused on motivating Democrats to exercise their right to vote.”

At this time, there is no known motive for Crooks’ attempt on Trump’s life …

Crooks was not carrying any identification at the time of the shooting. He was clad in a T-shirt promoting Demolition Ranch, a popular YouTube channel for firearm enthusiasts.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

(Travis Bell Photography)

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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8 comments

The Neverest Never Trumper to Ever Never Trump July 14, 2024 at 8:48 am

Registered Republican? Oof!

Man the RNC hit the nail on the head with that “We are all domestic terrorists” line!

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The Colonel Top fan July 14, 2024 at 11:50 am

In PA to register to vote in primaries, you must declare a party, he registered two years ago.
He donated money to a democrat organization.
He shot Trump, the probable Republican nominee.
I would surmise, based on the limited facts available, that he is not a Trump supporter.

Reply
Squishy123 (the original) July 14, 2024 at 12:18 pm

Brad Warthen registered as a Republican so he could vote in the Republican primary. Does that make him a MAGA supporter?

Reply
River Top fan July 14, 2024 at 4:19 pm

He voted for Haley in the primary like most demoncrats.

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The Neverest Never Trumper to Ever Never Trumpr Never Trump July 14, 2024 at 6:54 pm

Oh yeah I forget, Republicans call their own killers and crooks lefties, a la Jan 6 was done by antifa or whatever.

You guys forget about that pipe bomber too, or was he a super secret squirrel Obama operative?

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CongareeCatfish Top fan July 16, 2024 at 8:51 am

Oh no we remember the pipe bomber…and how the FBI claimed that, despite being able to identify over 2000 people by cell phone geofencing over at the capital grounds, there “just seems to be some corruption of the data” that would have identified the one lone person bomber….yeah right.

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Conservatives in Shambles! July 14, 2024 at 7:58 pm

Former student Max R. Smith remembered Crooks as an intelligent classmate with conservative political leanings. Smith recalled participating in a mock debate in a course they took together, where their teacher posed questions on government policy and had students stand on opposite sides of the classroom to signal their support or opposition.

“The majority of the class were on the liberal side, but Tom, no matter what, always stood his ground on the conservative side,” Smith said. “That’s still the picture I have of him. Just standing alone on one side while the rest of the class was on the other.

(Let me guess, fake news? Crisis actor?)

Reply
CongareeCatfish Top fan July 16, 2024 at 8:51 am

You got a cite for this? Share it if so.

Reply

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