Law enforcement swarm home of Trump rally shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, in Bethel Park
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Law enforcement swarmed a Bethel Park home believed to be connected to the shooter in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.
Public records show the home, located on Milford Drive in Bethel Park, is that of 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, who federal law enforcement officials identified as the shooter who opened fire at the rally in Butler on Saturday evening.
The road to the home was shut down on Sunday and neighbors have been evacuated.
One neighbor, who lives only a few homes down the road from the gunman, said police evacuated from her home in the middle of the night. She was told noon on Sunday was the earliest she could be allowed back into her home.
"They asked us to leave our house. They told us it was a state of emergency, no warning, just a knock on the door in the middle of the night," Kelly Little said. "They told us we could come back in a couple of hours, likely."
Bethel Park Police said there is a bomb investigation surrounding Crooks's home.
Bethel Park School District confirms Crooks was a 2022 graduate
In a statement provided to KDKA from Bethel Park School District, they said that Crooks was a 2022 graduate and pledged to work with law enforcement as the investigation continues.
Their full statement is below.
Bethel Park School district can confirm that the alleged shooter in the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump is a graduate of Bethel Park High School. Thomas Matthew Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High with the Class of 2022.
The school district wishes to express its sincere wishes for a speedy and full recovery for Mr. Trump and for those in attendance at the Saturday event who may have been physically harmed or emotionally impacted by these tragic events. We offer special condolences to the family of at least one attendee who was killed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.
Our school district will cooperate fully with the active law enforcement investigation surrounding this case, and as such, we are limited in what we can publicly disclose.
Moving forward, we will work closely with law enforcement investigators and share information as appropriate with respect to school district policies, the active investigation, and law enforcement protocols.
Gunman identified, killed by Secret Service
The gunman, Crooks, who tried to assassinate the former president was a registered Republican but previously made a $15 donation to a Democratic-aligned group, according to public records.
Crooks opened fire with an AR-style rifle from about 400 feet away from the rally stage with video showing his position on a roof outside of the security perimeter.
One attendee said he saw the suspect.
"We noticed the guy crawling, bear-crawling, up the roof of the building beside us," he said. "We're standing there, we're pointing at the guy crawling up the roof. He had a rifle, we could clearly see him with a rifle."
A Secret Service sniper shot and killed Crooks.
At this time, the FBI Pittsburgh has not yet identified or released a motive.
This is a developing story, stay with CBS Pittsburgh for the latest.
