The FBI has confirmed that 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was the shooter involved in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. According to the US Secret Service, Crooks fired multiple shots towards the stage from an elevated position outside the rally before being neutralized by agents.
The incident occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, just two days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump is set to become the party’s nominee. Trump was rushed off the stage with blood on his face following the shooting.
Here are five key facts about the shooter:
- Thomas Matthew Crooks, a registered Republican, was identified by the FBI as the suspect involved in the assassination attempt.
- Crooks was a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. He received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative that same year.
- The shooter was armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and was positioned on the roof of a building approximately 130 yards away from the stage where Trump was speaking.
- Multiple witnesses reported seeing Crooks before the shooting and alerted authorities.
- Crooks was shot and killed by Secret Service officials after the attack on the 78-year-old former President. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, according to police.
