BETHEL PARK, Pa. — The man who shot former President Donald Trump at a political rally in Pennsylvania has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as a suspect in connection to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement. “This case remains an active investigation and we encourage anyone with information that could assist investigators to submit photos and videos online at: FBI.gov/Butler Or, call 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
Crooks was shot and killed by police shortly after the shooting.
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At the chaotic scene, “I believe our officers acted heroically in quickly identifying and neutralizing the threat and also responding to render aid to the various victims,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. George Bivens said at a news conference near midnight Saturday.
The perpetrators did not have identification on them, so they had to use other techniques to verify their identities, FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said at a late-night news conference in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“We are currently reviewing the photos, conducting DNA tests and attempting biometric confirmation,” Rojek said.
About 1:30 a.m. Sunday, dozens of police vehicles were stationed outside the home listed on Crooks’ voter registration records, which is about 42 miles south of Butler on a winding suburban road in Bethel Park. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene and an explosives disposal unit was at the home and planned to enter it.
A member of the Allegheny County Explosive Ordnance Unit told reporters that he and several other officers planned to enter the home shortly around midnight, but did not say what they were looking for.
Neighbors standing outside expressed disbelief.
Dan Maloney, 30, said he saw the shooter’s name on social media, researched it and discovered he lived nearby.
“It’s insane that someone would do something like this,” he said, adding that at one point he had planned to attend the rally.
John Wolf, who lives just down the road from Crooks, said he’s been in contact with several concerned neighbours.
“People are scared,” said Wolf, a local construction foreman.
A 50-year-old man said he was “shocked” when his sister told him the shooter lived in his neighborhood, and that he had planned to go to the rally but gave up because of the heat.
USA Today reached out to several members of Crooks’ family but they did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Crooks was a registered Republican and eligible to vote, according to LexisNexis, and attended Bethel Park High School, where he was on track to graduate in 2022.
As shots rang out, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee ducked and was quickly protected by security, holding his hand to the side of his head. He was escorted off the stage a short time later, appearing to have blood on his ear and the side of his face.
Hours after the shooting, President Trump thanked the Secret Service agents who protected him as gunfire rang out.
“I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service and all law enforcement for their swift response to the shooting that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the individual who died at the rally and the family of the other individual who was seriously injured.”
“I was shot above my right ear. I heard a whoosh and a gunshot and felt the bullet penetrate my skin so I knew straight away something was wrong. I was bleeding profusely and I knew what was going on.”
