Bethel Park is a suburb of about 34,000 people seven miles south of Pittsburgh and about 40 miles south of Butler. Residents on Sunday described the neighborhood as a close-knit community of small business owners and self-described family men who like to talk about their kids but not much about politics.
The fire department is made up entirely of volunteers, said Steven Deathorn, 66, who owns Mom & Pop’s Diner with his wife. “We all like to help each other, and we all like to get along.”
Pennsylvania voter registration records show Crooks was registered as a Republican, and campaign finance records show that a person named Thomas Crooks, who lives at the same address as Crooks, donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a Democratic voter turnout group, in January 2021.
A search of court records revealed no criminal history.
The investigation is still in its early stages, but the gunman is believed to have used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle in the attack, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“This remains an active investigation,” the FBI said, and asked anyone with relevant information to submit it to the bureau.
A list of Bethel Park High School’s 2022 graduating class published by local media listed Crooks as one of 20 students who received $500 in math and science awards from the school that year. Bethel Park High School did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a press conference Saturday evening before the suspect’s name was released, Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office said investigators do not yet know the suspect’s motive. “Investigators are working tirelessly to determine what the motive may have been,” Special Agent Rojek said.
Asked if the shooter acted alone, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said it was “too early to say.”
“It will be some time before this question can be answered definitively,” he added.
Bivens said shots were fired at Trump while he was speaking on stage at the rally, which he called “chaotic,” and that federal and local authorities were working together to interview witnesses and investigate the crime scene.
By early Sunday morning, authorities had sealed off the area around the suspected shooter’s home, with local fire department vehicles blocking traffic for several blocks and allowing only residents and investigators access.
No campaign or candidate signs were visible on the streets outside the area, and the area appeared apolitical.
But Diner owner Dietsohn said he’s noticed political tensions have risen a bit in recent years.
Last year, he had to step out of his kitchen to break up an argument between a man who supports President Biden and a man who supports President Trump. They were yelling, and he urged them to be “civil.”
Then a few months ago, when a man wearing colonial clothing and carrying a large Trump sign riding his bike around town decided to park outside the restaurant, Dietson asked him to move across the street — he didn’t want any controversy to hurt business.
On Sunday morning, the separation between food and politics collapsed when a television mounted above four coffee pots showed the former president bleeding from his ear next to the words “Bethel Park.”
“It’s crazy to see the statements being made on TV talking about Bethel High School. It’s like something from a movie,” said customer Tony Sarkis, 51. “Unfortunately, this really has left a scar on this neighborhood.”
Sarkis, a lifelong conservative who works in tech, credits Trump with pushing economic policies during his first term that have helped him and his family, who had planned to attend Saturday’s rally but were unable to do so due to a scheduling conflict.
Sarkis said he grew up with close liberal friends and believes it’s important for people with differing opinions to talk to each other. “We’ve lost that,” he said. “Someone tried to assassinate a former president.”
Devlin Barrett, Shawn Boburg, Perry Stein and Alex Horton contributed to this report.
