On July 13, 2024, at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, Crooks shot at Trump with an AR-15–style rifle from a nearby rooftop while Trump was giving a speech. Crooks wounded Trump's ear and killed one attendee while critically injuring two others before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper team. His motive remains unknown. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case. Trump would go on to win the 2024 election less than four months later.
Evidence on his political views remains inconclusive. In January 2021, he donated $15 to a voter turnout group with a Democratic platform. When he reached the voting age of 18 in September 2021, he registered to vote in Pennsylvania as a member of the Republican Party and remained registered as a Republican until his death.
Classmates and school officials characterized him as being quiet; classmates said that he was often bullied for various reasons[2][3][12] including his quiet demeanor, body odor, as well as for wearing camouflage hunting outfits and surgical masks to school.[2][14][15]
On July 6, the same day he registered for the rally, Crooks searched "how far was Oswald from Kennedy" in reference to former president John F. Kennedy and the gunman who assassinated him.[29] Crooks also searched for information on power plants and the attempted assassination of Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico. He used a number of aliases and encrypted communication accounts to buy firearm supplies and bomb-making material.[30] On July 12, 2024, Crooks went to a shooting range where he was a member to practice firing.[31]
He purchased over 50 rounds of ammunition and a ladder before going to the rally on July 13.[32] He requested the day off from work because he had "something to do", telling his co-workers that he would return the next day.[33] Hours before the shooting, Crooks's parents had called the police to report him as missing and expressed concern about his wellbeing.[34] On July 13, Crooks went to the Trump rally.[35] He climbed onto a building that was being used by police as a staging area.[36] Text messages from a police sniper indicate that the police were aware of him already 90 minutes before the shooting.[37][38] Using an AR-15–style rifle which his father had bought legally in 2013 and that was legally transferred to him in 2023,[30][39] Thomas shot Trump and injured his upper right ear[40] and also shot three adult male audience members;[41] one of them, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, was killed.[42] Crooks was then killed by a member of the Secret Service Counter Sniper Team.[43][44] Bomb-making materials were found inside his vehicle and at his home, and a remote detonator was found on his body.[45] The FBI identified him as the shooter on July 14.[35]
As of August 2024[update], an investigation by the FBI was described to have at that time been underway. Crooks's motivation remains unknown.[46]
The rifle and backpack used by Crooks at the assassination attempt
The rifle used by Crooks during the assassination attempt, with visible damage to the stock of the firearm after being struck by police gunfire at Crooks
Political activities
Authorities have said that Crooks's political views are unknown, and they have not determined whether his assassination attempt was politically motivated.[6] Public records do not indicate his views.[47]
On January 20, 2021 when he was 17, he donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a liberal voter turnout group, through the Democratic Party donation platform ActBlue.[13][48][18][49] His donation was made on the same day that President Biden was sworn into office.[12] According to the Progressive Turnout Project, he made the donation in response to an email about "tuning into" the inauguration. He unsubscribed from the group's mailing list in 2022.[50][47]
After the shooting, the FBI uncovered a social media account "believed to be associated with the shooter" with about 700 comments from 2019 to 2020. A public statement from FBI deputy director Paul Abbate described Crooks's activity on social networking services as including comments that "appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes" and "espouse political violence".[52]
^A claimed fourth injury from gunfire—U.S. representative Ronny Jackson's nephew—has not been confirmed by independent sources; the sole source is Jackson himself.[1]
^Cheatle, Kimberly (July 15, 2024). "Statement From U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle" (Press release). United States Secret Service. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024. Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump.
^ abcTolan, Casey; Freeman, Danny; de Puy Kamp, Majlie; Devine, Curt; Chapman, Isabelle (July 14, 2024). "What we know about the Trump rally gunman so far". CNN. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024. So far, investigators haven't found any evidence on social media or other writings by Crooks that might help identify his motive for the attempted assassination, law enforcement officials say... And a review of public records suggests he may have had divergent political leanings, with Crooks registering to vote as a Republican but making a small donation to a Democratic-leaning group.
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