Trump Shooting Suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks Was Lonely And Bullied, Rejected From School Rifle Team: Reports

Thomas Matthew Crooks was quiet, bullied and lonely in school, but an investigation so far into the young man who was identified as the shooter in the assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump has revealed frustratingly little about his motive.

Former high school classmates described the 20-year-old as a terrible shot, ironically. Crooks, who fired multiple shots at Trump during the Butler rally in Pennsylvania, was reportedly rejected from his school’s rifle team. He was all set to cast his vote for the first time in the November 5 presidential elections. But, it was not to be.

On July 13, the US Secret Service shot and killed him as he made an attempt on Trump’s life. While the Republican presidential candidate survived, the shooting led to the death of a spectator and critically injured two others.

Even though his family members, classmates, teachers and work colleagues did not firmly talk about his leanings, it looks like there were some potential signs in him of an interest in politics. It seems the registered Republican had donated, as a 17-year-old, a small amount to the Democratic Party and put his name down as a voter only a week after he turned 18.

Since Crooks was identified as the shooter by the FBI, there has been much debate over his political affiliations and motive, further inflaming an already bitter political divide in the US. But, the information about him so far – gathered from home, neighbourhood, school and workplace – pieces a picture of a man whose ideology was not instantly clear.

A social media platform, Discord, said an account Crooks had with them was “rarely utilised” and there is no evidence that it was used to plan this incident, promote violence, or discuss his political views. His father told CNN that he was trying to establish “what the hell is going on” before speaking about his son.

On Sunday (July 14), the FBI said his social media profile does not contain threatening language, nor have they found any history of mental health issues. But, the law enforcement agency pointed out what is unique about him – when compared to other recent shooters who opened fire at schools, churches, malls and parades, is that he came within inches of killing a presidential candidate.

Early details, however, show a young Crooks working as a nursing home aide near his hometown in Pennsylvania, where he graduated from high school in 2022 with a reputation as a bright but quiet classmate. His high school counsellor described him as “respectful” and said he never knew him to be political.

Public records of the resident of Bethel Park – at least an hour away from where the shooting took place – show his father is a registered Republican and his mother a registered Democrat. (News 18)

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