Nobody would have thought that there would be an attempt to kill a former United States President, Donald Trump, but it happened. It took everyone aback.
It happened at a political rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Pennsylvania.
Now, authorities have identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.
“Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania,” USA Today quoted the Federal Bureau of Investigation as saying in a statement on Sunday.
The bureau added: “This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online.”
Assassination Attempt
During his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump – the Republican candidate for the upcoming November 5, 2024, presidential election, was shot at.
The Secret Service agents quickly rushed him off the stage into an SUV.
The gunman and a bystander were killed at the rally, while two spectators were critically wounded.
The Service said the shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside the rally” before being “neutralised” by agents”, AFP reports.
“After being shot with a bullet that went through the upper part of my right ear, I instantly sensed something was wrong as I heard a whizzing sound and felt the bullet tear through my skin.
People Also Read: Donald Trump Makes Promise To Foreigners If Elected President
“There was a lot of bleeding, which made me understand the seriousness of the situation,” Trump recounted following the incident.
Meanwhile, after being killed at the scene, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, Kevin Rojek, said Crooks had no means of identification on him.
According to the CNN, agents had to “run his DNA and get biometric confirmation”.
Here Are Five Things Known About Crooks:
1. Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
2. State voter records revealed that Crooks was a registered Republican, Reuters said.
3. Crooks lived about an hour away from where the shooting took place in Butler.
4. When he was 17, Crooks made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians, according to a 2021 Federal Election Commission filing.
5. Crooks received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review stated.
When reached by CNN on Saturday night, the shooter’s father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on”.
However, he said he would speak about his so after confirmations.
“Wait until I talk to law enforcement.”
Furthermore, a resident who lives down the road from Crooks’, John Wolf said he was in contact with other worried neighbours, saying, “People are scared”.
