Pictured: Thomas Matthew Crooks, would-be assassin who shot former President Trump
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a Pennsylvania rally, was a bullied loner, according to former classmates — as authorities revealed they discovered explosive devices inside his car after the shooting.
Crooks, 20, was on the roof of a manufacturing plant over 130 yards away from Trump’s rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds on Saturday when he fired at the former president — grazing Trump’s ear, killing a hero volunteer firefighter and wounding two others.
Secret Service snipers responded quickly, returning fire and taking out the 20-year-old — but not before he was able to squeeze off about eight rounds.
He was found with an AR-style semi-automatic assault rifle that his father had bought and was wearing a shirt for a popular gun YouTube channel, Demolition Ranch.
One former classmate told The Post, “He didn’t seem like really weird or anything. I would have pegged him as a Republican.”
The classmate added: “He was more of a loner. He probably had a friend group, but not many friends.”
Crooks — who graduated from Bethel Park High School, about 40 miles south of Trump’s rally in Butler, in 2022 — was a loner who was “relentlessly” bullied, former classmate Jason Kohler told KDKA.
While in high school, the would-be gunman had a penchant for wearing hunting attire and playing video games in class, he said.
Here’s the latest on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump:
Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks visited gun range dozens of times — including Christmas — for ‘intense preparation’- Newly surfaced texts show Trump rally gunman was on authorities’ radar more than 90 minutes before shooting: report
- FBI to conduct victim interview with Donald Trump after assassination attempt
- Ex-Trump doc says FBI’s Wray is ‘wrong’ to doubt ex-prez was struck by bullet: ‘Absolutely no evidence’
- Trump defends female Secret Service agent who was criticized after assassination attempt: ‘So brave’
When he was 17, Crooks made a $15 donation to the liberal ActBlue political action committee on President Biden’s inauguration day in 2021, the Intercept reported.
But when he turned 18 the following September, Crooks registered with the Republican Party, online state records showed.
It was not immediately clear Sunday why Crooks targeted the former president.
There was no known manifesto or clear motive posted online by the gunman as of Sunday, according to law enforcement sources.
A search of Crooks’ devices was slowed when authorities found possible explosive devices in his car and at his home, the sources said.
The gunman’s father told CNN on Sunday that he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” after his son began being identified as the suspected assassin, adding that he was going to “wait until I talk to law enforcement” to speak on the shooting.
The gun Crooks allegedly used was purchased by his father, according to reports.
Horrifying images shared online of the aftermath of the shooting showed a Secret Service sniper standing over Crooks’ body, which lay limp on a roof in an all-gray outfit with blood streaking across his face and into his long, brown hair.
The streets around Crooks’ house were blocked off by police on Sunday, but a neighbor told The Post he saw an Allegheny County bomb squad car prepping to enter the home just after 1 a.m.
“I saw a post of his name and that he lived in Bethel Park, so I looked him up and he lives .3 miles away,” Dan Maloney, 30, said of the shooter.
“I went down there and spoke to the county bomb squad at 1:06 a.m. He said he was about to go into the house,” Maloney added. “I didn’t know the guy. No one in this neighborhood really talks to each other.”
“It’s a tragedy. One person died, another is in the hospital. He went after a former president and likely the next president.”
Crooks’ chaotic attack on Trump was captured in horrifying video footage, showcasing the former president getting tackled to the ground by Secret Service agents.
Seconds later, Trump rose to his feet and told his security detail to “wait” before pumping his fist and shouting “Fight” to the badly shaken crowd.
Trump had been treated at a Pennsylvania hospital for wounds to his ear before he was seen exiting his private plane, Trump Force One, at Newark Liberty International Airport just after midnight.
The former president was flanked by Secret Service as he walked down to the tarmac, and appeared to still be wearing the same navy suit he had on when he was shot.
One rally-goer died while two spectators were critically wounded in the attack, officials said.
Saturday’s attack marked the first serious assassination attempt on a president or presidential candidate since President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
It came just days before Trump is to be officially named the Republican nominee at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
