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Thomas Matthew Crooks

Thomas Matthew Crooks was an American dietary aide based in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He was employed at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.[1] He was a registered member of the Republican Party.[2]

He was the son of Matthew Crooks,[3] with whom he was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club.[4]

History

Crooks was born September 20, 2003.[2:1]

On January 20, 2021, Crooks donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project via ActBlue.[5]

Crooks attended Bethel Park High School, graduating in 2022.[6] He briefly appeared as an unpaid background actor in a 2022 video advertisement for BlackRock, which featured a teacher, classroom and students from Bethel Park High School.[7]

On June 2, 2022, he received a $500 National Math and Science Initiative Star Award.[8] He subsequently received an associate degree in engineering science.[9]

Donald Trump assassination attempt

On July 14, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified Crooks as the deceased shooter who attempted to assassinate former United States President Donald Trump the day prior.[1:1][9:1] The man identified as Crooks was killed by a United States Secret Service sniper.[10] He reportedly had no identifying documents on him, leading investigators to attempt to identify him through DNA and biometric analysis.[3:1] The FBI said they believed he was acting alone.[11]

Crooks reportedly used an "used an AR-15 style rifle purchased by his father to open fire from a rooftop outside the rally" where Trump was speaking.[9:2] His phone was subsequently broken into by the FBI using Cellebrite technology.[12]

On July 18, 2024, Congressman Mike Waltz stated that an FBI briefing revealed that Crooks had "three encrypted accounts" overseas.[13]

Further reading

  1. Romero, L., & Charalambous, P. (2024, July 14). Suspected shooter worked as dietary aide at nursing and rehab center. ABC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20240715001131/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/donald-trump-rally-shooting-assassination-attempt/?id=111916828&entryId=111935164 ↩︎ ↩︎
  2. CROOKS, THOMAS MATTHEW - VOTER STATUS RECORD. Pennsylvania Department of State; New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20240714065908/https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/eab599d76197b932/4bf3303b-full.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎
  3. Yeung, J. (2024, July 14). FBI identifies Trump rally shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. CNN. https://web.archive.org/web/20240717085303/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/14/us/trump-shooting-thomas-matthew-crooks-intl-hnk/index.html ↩︎ ↩︎
  4. Jacoby, K., Phillips, K., & Cann, C. (2024, July 17). Trump’s would-be assassin had little time to prepare – and left little trace of plot. USA Today. https://web.archive.org/web/20240719171627/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2024/07/17/thomas-matthew-crooks-trump-assassination-plot-execution/74438320007/ ↩︎
  5. Itemized Receipts - Image #202102049425405473. New York Times; Federal Election Commission. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20240717094611/https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/fe91e6ba36695009/ac182c3a-full.pdf ↩︎
  6. Pezenik, S. (2024, July 14). Bethel Park School District confirms suspected gunman was an alum. ABC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20240715001131/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/donald-trump-rally-shooting-assassination-attempt/?id=111916828&entryId=111935164 ↩︎
  7. Valinsky, J. (2024, July 15). BlackRock pulls commercial that included Trump rally shooter. CNN. https://web.archive.org/web/20240717184737/https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/15/business/blackrock-commercial-included-trump-shooter/index.html ↩︎
  8. Awards and Recognition Program honors Bethel Park graduates. (2022, June 22). Tribune-Review. https://web.archive.org/web/20220622160845/https://triblive.com/local/awards-and-recognition-program-honors-bethel-park-graduates/ ↩︎
  9. Robertson, C., Healy, J., Bogel-Burroughs, N., & Thrush, G. (2024, July 14). Here’s What Is Known About the Suspect Who Tried to Assassinate Trump. The New York Times. http://archive.today/2024.07.15-181741/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/14/us/politics/trump-gunman-thomas-crooks.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
  10. Thomas, P., & Barr, L. (2024, July 14). Security looked at roof during preparations, source tells ABC News. ABC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20240715001131/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/donald-trump-rally-shooting-assassination-attempt/?id=111916828&entryId=111935164 ↩︎
  11. Davies, E., Barrett, D., Hilton, J., & Stein, P. (2024, July 14). Trump rally shooter appears to have acted alone, FBI says. Washington Post. http://archive.today/2024.07.15-184311/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/07/14/thomas-matthew-crooks-trump-shooting-suspect/ ↩︎
  12. FBI cracked Trump shooter’s phone with tech from Israel’s Cellebrite – report. (2024, July 17). The Times of Israel. https://web.archive.org/web/20240717185833/https://www.timesofisrael.com/fbi-cracked-trump-shooters-phone-with-tech-from-israels-cellebrite-report/ ↩︎
  13. Laila, C. (2024, July 19). JUST IN: Trump Would-Be Assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks Had Two Cell Phones and 3 Encrypted Accounts Overseas. The Gateway Pundit. https://web.archive.org/web/20240719164421/https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/07/just-trump-would-be-assassin-thomas-matthew-crooks/ ↩︎