FBI identifies Thomas Matthew Crooks as Trump shooter

Author: Trudy Ring

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pa., as the man who attempted to kill Donald Trump at a Saturday rally in Butler, Pa., according to multiple news outlets.

Crooks was killed by law enforcement at the scene. One other attendee was killed as well, and at least two others are in critical condition.

Crooks used a semiautomatic rifle to shoot at the former president and current Republican presidential nominee, several sources report. Trump was wounded in the ear and is recovering. Authorities have not stated a motive for the shooting.

Crooks was a registered Republican, according to voter records viewed by The New York Times. However, “he donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a liberal voter turnout group, through the Democratic donation platform ActBlue in January 2021,” the Times reports.

He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and won a $500 award from the National Math and Science Initiative. Bethel Park is an affluent, largely white suburb of Pittsburgh. Law enforcement has shut down all streets and roads leading to Crooks’s home.

“This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” said a statement from the FBI.

Story developing…

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Trudy Ring