Would-be Trump assassin tried to join high school shooting club, was rejected for being ‘comically bad’ shot
The Pennsylvania man who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump during a rally on Saturday tried out for his high school’s rifle team, but was rejected for making “off-color” jokes — and being a “terrible” shot.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, killed a hero Trump supporter and wounded two others when he opened fire on the Butler Farm Show grounds with an AR-style rifle. The would-be assassin only grazed the former president before being shot dead by the Secret Service.
A few years earlier, Crooks had tried out for the rifle team at Bethel Park High School, two former classmates told The Post.
Everything we know about the Trump assassination attempt
- 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified as the shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
- Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents.
- The gunman grazed Trump’s ear, killed a 50-year-old retired fire chief, and injured two other rally-goers.
- Investigators detailed Crooks’ search history to lawmakers, revealing that he looked for the dates of Trump’s appearances and the Democratic National Convention.
- Crooks’ search history also revealed a broad interest in high-profile people and celebrities, regardless of their political affiliation, FBI officials reportedly said.
- Trump exclusively recounted surviving the “surreal” assassination attempt with The Post at the rally, remarking, “I’m supposed to be dead.”
- High-profile politicians, including President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed the nation about the shooting, calling it “a heinous, horrible and cowardly act.”
The team at Bethel Park shoots Anschutz single-shot rifles with peep sights and .22-caliber ammunition, Jameson Murphy and another former student explained.
The shooting range at the school is 50 feet long by 21 feet wide, with seven ranges.
Crooks once fired from the seventh lane — the closest to the right wall — and hit the left wall, completely missing every target on the back wall. He missed his target by close to 20 feet, Murphy recalled.
“He tried out … and was such a comically bad shot, he was unable to make the team and left after the first day,” Murphy said.
Here’s the latest on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump:
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- 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’
Crooks — who has been described as a loner who wore hunting outfits to class — ”couldn’t shoot at all. He was a terrible shot,” the second classmate added.
Even the coach, they continued, had concerns about Crooks.
“Our old coach was a stickler, he trained Navy marksmen, so he knew people. He knew when someone’s not the greatest person,” the ex-classmate explained.
“We noticed a few things Thomas said and how he interacted with other people … He said some things that were kind of concerning,” the classmate said.
“You know, obviously, we’re using guns in a school setting, so you need to be very careful in that regard.”
“He made some crass jokes that weren’t appropriate when there are firearms in the school setting,” they said, without elaborating on what exactly Crooks said.
