Assassination Attempt on Trump: FBI Names Thomas Matthew Crooks as Gunman

Twenty-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, has been named by the FBI as the gunman who tried to kill former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Allegedly from a rooftop around 130 yards away, Crooks fired at Trump from above, striking his upper right ear as the former president spoke to attendees before the forthcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Two others, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were injured as well as 50-year-old former fire chief Corey Comperatore died in the attack.

“The FBI has identified 20, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania’s Thomas Matthew Crooks as the suspect in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the agency said. “This remains an active and continuing investigation.”

Pittsburgh suburban resident Crooks had been a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club for at least a year. 2022 saw him graduate from Bethel Park High School with a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative. His graduation is shown on an online recording with very little applause.

Although Crooks registered as a Republican, his age limited his participation in the November 8, 2022, state election. Records show he paid the Progressive Turnout Project, a political action committee endorsing Democratic candidates, $15.