Trump rally shooter identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20-year-old Pennsylvania man. Here's what we know so far.
The gunman who fired shots at former President Donald Trump in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday night has been identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper, officials said.
One audience member at the rally, Pennsylvania firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting, and two other men are in critical condition, officials said. A spokesperson for Allegheny General Hospital said the injured victims were stable, although still in critical condition, on Sunday night.
Who was the shooter?
In a statement, the FBI said:
"The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. 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 at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI."
Federal investigators said the gunman was not carrying identification, so they analyzed his DNA to provide a biometric confirmation of his identity.
Crooks was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb about an hour south of Butler. The town in Allegheny County is home to about 30,000 people and has one high school with about 1,300 students.
He graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County in May with an associate in science degree in engineering science, a spokesperson for the college confirmed to CBS News. He was expected to enroll in Robert Morris University in the fall, a spokesperson for the private university in the Pittsburgh are confirmed Monday to CBS News, and had not yet attended classes there.
Bethel Park School District confirmed to CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA that Crooks was a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School. School officials pledged to work with law enforcement investigating the shooting, and offered condolences to those affected by the attack.
Former classmate Jameson Myers, a member of the school's varsity rifle team, told CBS News that Crooks had tried out for the team freshman year but did not make the junior varsity roster and did not return to try out for the team in subsequent years.
He called Crooks a "nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone," and he said, "I never have thought him capable of anything I've seen him do in the last few days."
Fellow classmate Summer Barkley told CBS Pittsburgh reporter Megan Schiller that although Crooks wasn't popular, he still had a group of friends and was a good student beloved by teachers. She said she didn't see any red flags that would lead her to believe he would do something like this.
Mark Sigafoos, who graduated with Crooks and sat near him in class, told CBS News that while it was possible Crooks was bullied in school, he never personally saw it happen. Sigafoos described him as smart, friendly and frequently engaged during class, "definitely nerdy for sure," but said he "never gave off that he was creepy or like a school shooter."
"He seemed like he wouldn't hurt a fly," he said.
Another classmate, Jason Koehler, had a somewhat different view, telling Schiller that Crooks was a loner who was bullied relentlessly for his appearance and wore camo/hunting outfits in class. He said Crooks would often sit in the cafeteria alone before class. He also said Crooks was very COVID-conscious and wore a surgical mask long after they were required.
Crooks also worked at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as a dietary aide, according to the facility's administrator. The University of Pittsburgh confirmed Monday that Crooks had been admitted for the fall semester to study mechanical engineering, but according to a statement from the school, he informed the university in March he had decided not to attend.
Crooks also had a membership at a nearby gun club for at least a year. Bill Sellitto, the president of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club in Clairton, Pennsylvania, told CBS News that Crooks was a member.
"We can confirm that Mr. Crooks was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club. Beyond that, the club is unable to make any additional commentary in relation to this matter in light of pending law enforcement investigations," Sellitto said in a statement. "Obviously, the Club fully admonishes the senseless act of violence that occurred yesterday."
A law enforcement source noted that at the time of the shooting, the gunman was wearing a shirt that apparently read "DemolitionRanch," a popular gun-related YouTube channel with over 11 million subscribers.
What was his motive?
Federal authorities on Monday were still investigating what may have prompted the gunman to carry out the shooting. So far, they say it appears he acted alone.
"We do not currently have an identified motive," said Kevin Rojek, FBI Pittsburgh special agent in charge, at a briefing late Saturday, and President Biden said the shooter's motives were still unclear in an address from the Oval Office the following night.
"There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence, ever. Period. No exceptions. We can't allow this violence to become normalized," Mr. Biden said. "The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It's time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that."
A law enforcement official said early Sunday that there are no foreign terrorism ties known at this time and the suspect was not on the radar of law enforcement, although they are still running his name down.
There was also no indication that Crooks ever had a connection to any military branch, officials confirmed to CBS News.
Crooks' political leanings were not immediately clear. Records show he was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania but Federal Election Commission information shows he previously made a $15 donation to a Democratic-aligned group.
A law enforcement official said early Sunday that the Secret Service and the FBI are investigating the suspect's background and speaking with his family. The FBI has secured his home and federal law enforcement is searching his family's residence in suburban Pittsburgh, the law enforcement official said.
An FBI official said the family of the shooter is cooperating with investigators.
FBI officials told reporters during a press call Sunday afternoon that determining the motive is the primary objective of the agency's investigation, but no ideology has been identified as a motive so far. Officials also said there was no indication of Crooks having mental health issues.
Crooks did have a social media presence, the FBI officials said Sunday. Agents are combing through his posts and emails but have found nothing so far that reveals a motive or anything threatening.
In a Monday statement, the FBI confirmed they were able to access the shooter's phone and continue to analyze his electronic devices. Sources told CBS News on Monday afternoon the phone has so far not yielded any information about his beliefs or a potential motive.
Meanwhile, the public has submitted over 2,000 tips to the FBI for examination.
What weapon did he have?
The gunman was armed with a semiautomatic AR-style rifle, multiple law enforcement sources said. He had purchased a box of ammunition with 50 rounds on the day of the shooting, a law enforcement source confirmed to CBS News on Monday.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News the gun was legally purchased in 2013 and was registered to the shooter's father, Matthew Crooks.
A law enforcement source confirmed Sunday that suspicious devices were found in the gunman's vehicle. CBS News has learned the shooter had a device in his possession that appeared to be capable of triggering those suspicious devices. Bomb technicians called to the scene were involved in securing and investigating the devices.
What protections were there for Trump?
Trump said in a social media post that a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear. He was checked at a local hospital before leaving the area under Secret Service protection and flying to New Jersey late Saturday night.
Trump's Secret Service detail was given additional assets that are part of the protocol for the presumptive nominee due to his heavy campaigning, which includes additional manpower, counter-sniper, drones and robotic dogs, a law enforcement official said. On Saturday, there were four counter-sniper teams on site, the official said.
Additionally, Trump's teleprompter is protective and the flag and podium banners are made of steel, the law enforcement official said.
In a statement Sunday morning, U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the agency recently "added protective resources and capabilities to the former President's security detail," and said any suggestion that they had rebuffed a request for more security "is absolutely false."
"The U. S. Secret Service takes threats seriously, and it takes actions based on those threats as warranted," he said. "The U.S. Secret Service is constantly evaluating the very dynamic threat environment and responding to it in the fulfillment of its responsibilities."
What did witnesses see?
One man who was at the rally said that soon after Trump started speaking, he saw a man "bear crawling" up a building.
"We're pointing at the guy," said the witness, named Greg. "He had a rifle — you could literally see him with a rifle." He told the BBC that he and others told the police and were pointing him out to U.S. Secret Service agents. He estimated that the man was on the roof for "three or four minutes" before shots were heard.
Other witnesses told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA that they also saw the gunman and tried to alert officers before the shooting.
The sheriff of Butler County told CBS News Pittsburgh that a local police officer was hoisted up onto the roof by another officer to check the premises after receiving the bystander reports. The officer saw the shooter, who pointed the rifle at him. The officer then let go and fell from the roof, the sheriff said.
At that point, the gunman turned to face the rally and fired between six and eight rounds in that direction.
Jessica Kegu, Clare Hymes, Robert Legare, Pat Milton, Andres Triay and Megan Schiller contributed to this report.
