Authorities hunt for clues, but motive of man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump remains elusive

Michael Biesecker, Alanna Durkin Richer, Michael Balsamo, Jim Mustian, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The 20-year-old man who tried to assassinate erstwhile President Donald Trump first came to rule enforcement’s attraction astatine Saturday’s rally erstwhile spectators noticed him acting strangely extracurricular nan run event. The extremity sparked a frantic hunt but officers were incapable to find him earlier he managed to get connected a roof, wherever he opened fire.

In nan aftermath of nan shooting that killed 1 spectator, investigators were hunting for immoderate clues astir what whitethorn person drove Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to transportation retired nan shocking attack. The FBI said they were investigating it arsenic a imaginable enactment of home terrorism, but nan absence of a clear ideological motive by nan man changeable dormant by Secret Service led conspiracy theories to flourish.

This June 3, 2022 still image taken from video provided by nan Bethel Park School District shows student Thomas Matthew Crooks successful nan 2022 Bethel Park High School Commencement successful Bethel Park, Pa. | The Bethel Park School District via Associated Press

“I impulse everyone — everyone, please, don’t make assumptions astir his motives aliases his affiliations,” President Joe Biden said successful remarks Sunday from nan White House. “Let nan FBI do their job, and their partner agencies do their job. I’ve instructed that this investigation beryllium thorough and swift.”

The FBI said it believes Crooks, who had bomb-making materials successful nan car he drove to nan rally, acted alone. Investigators person recovered nary threatening comments connected societal media accounts aliases ideological positions that could thief explicate what led him to target Trump earlier Secret Service rushed nan presumptive Republican statesmanlike nominee disconnected nan stage, his look smeared pinch blood.

Republican statesmanlike campaigner erstwhile President Donald Trump is helped disconnected nan shape by U.S. Secret Service agents astatine a run arena successful Butler, Pa., connected Saturday, July 13, 2024. | Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press

Trump said connected societal media nan precocious portion of his correct receptor was pierced successful nan shooting, but advisers said he was “great spirits” up of his presence Sunday successful Milwaukee for nan Republican National Convention. Two spectators were critically injured, while a erstwhile occurrence main from nan area, Corey Comperatore was killed. Pennsylvania’s politician said Comperatore, 50, died a leader by diving onto his family to protect them.

Relatives of Crooks didn’t respond to galore messages from The Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN precocious Saturday that he was trying to fig retired “what nan hellhole is going on” but wouldn’t speak astir his boy until aft he talked to rule enforcement. An FBI charismatic told reporters that Crooks’ family is cooperating pinch investigators.

Several rallygoers reported to section officers that Crooks was acting suspiciously and pacing adjacent nan magnetometers, according to a rule enforcement charismatic who said connected nan information of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk nan investigation. Officers were past told Crooks was climbing a ladder, nan charismatic said. Officers searched for him but were incapable to find him earlier he made it to nan roof, nan charismatic added.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe told nan AP that a section serviceman climbed to nan tile and encountered Crooks, who saw nan serviceman and turned toward him conscionable earlier nan serviceman dropped down to safety. Slupe said nan serviceman couldn’t person wielded his ain weapon nether nan circumstances. The serviceman retreated down nan ladder, and Crooks quickly took a changeable toward Trump, and that’s erstwhile Secret Service snipers changeable him, according to 2 officials who said to AP connected information of anonymity to talk an ongoing investigation.

FBI officials said Sunday that they were combing Crooks’ inheritance and societal media activities while moving to get entree to his phone. The chatting app Discord, a societal media level celebrated pinch group playing online games, said Crooks appears to person had an relationship but utilized it seldom and not successful nan past respective months. There’s nary grounds he utilized his relationship to beforehand unit aliases talk his governmental views, a Discord spokesperson said.

Crooks’ governmental leanings were not instantly clear. Records show Crooks was registered arsenic a Republican elector successful Pennsylvania, but national run finance reports besides show he gave $15 to a progressive governmental action committee connected Jan. 20, 2021, nan time Biden was sworn into office.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School successful 2022. In a video of nan school’s graduation ceremonial posted online, Crooks tin beryllium seen crossing nan shape to person his diploma, appearing flimsy of build and wearing glasses. The schoolhouse territory said it will cooperate afloat pinch investigators. His elder year, Crooks was among respective students fixed an grant for mathematics and science, according to a Tribune-Review communicative astatine nan time.

Crooks tried retired for nan school’s firearm squad but was turned distant because he was a bad shooter, said Frederick Mach, a existent skipper of nan squad who was a fewer years down Crooks astatine nan school.

Jason Kohler, who said he attended nan aforesaid precocious schoolhouse but did not stock immoderate classes pinch Crooks, said Crooks was bullied astatine schoolhouse and sat unsocial astatine luncheon time. Other students mocked him for nan apparel he wore, which included hunting outfits, Kohler said.

“He was bullied almost each day,” Kohler told reporters. “He was conscionable a outcast, and you cognize really kids are nowadays.”

This 2021 photograph provided by Bethel Park School District shows student Thomas Matthew Crooks who graduated from Bethel Park High School pinch nan Class of 2022, successful Bethel Park, Pa. Crooks was identified by nan FBI arsenic nan shooter progressive successful an assassination effort of erstwhile President Donald Trump astatine a run rally connected Saturday, July 13, 2024, successful Butler, Pa. | Bethel Park School District via Associated Press

Crooks worked astatine a nursing location arsenic a dietary aide, a occupation that mostly involves nutrient preparation. Marcie Grimm, nan administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, said successful a connection she was “shocked and saddened to study of his involvement.” Grimm added that Crooks had a cleanable inheritance cheque erstwhile he was hired.

A blockade had been group up Sunday preventing postulation adjacent Crooks’ house, which is successful an enclave of humble ceramic houses successful nan hills extracurricular Pittsburgh and astir an hour’s thrust from nan tract of nan Trump rally. Police cars were stationed astatine an intersection adjacent nan location and officers were seen stepping done nan neighborhood.

Law enforcement artifact a thoroughfare successful Bethel Park, Pa., that they opportunity is adjacent a residence of Thomas Matthew Crooks, nan suspected shooter of erstwhile President Donald Trump, Sunday, July 14, 2024. | Joshua A. Bickel, Associated Press

Crooks utilized an AR-style rifle, which authorities said they judge was purchased by his father. Kevin Rojek, FBI typical supplier successful complaint successful Pittsburgh, said that investigators do not yet cognize if he took nan weapon without his father’s permission.

A video posted to societal media and geolocated by AP shows Crooks wearing a grey t-shirt pinch a achromatic American emblem connected nan correct limb lying motionless connected nan tile of a manufacturing works conscionable northbound of nan Butler Farm Show grounds wherever Trump’s rally was held.

Authorities are investigating really an assailant sewage truthful adjacent to erstwhile President Donald Trump Saturday during a rally. | Associated Press integer embed

The tile wherever Crooks laic was little than 150 meters (164 yards) from wherever Trump was speaking, a region from which a decent marksman could reasonably deed a human-sized target. That is simply a region astatine which U.S. Army recruits must deed a scaled human-sized silhouette to suffice pinch nan M-16 rifle.

Images of Crooks’ assemblage reviewed by AP show he appears to person been wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a celebrated YouTube transmission that regularly posts videos of its creator firing disconnected handguns and battle rifles astatine targets that see quality mannequins.

Matt Carriker, nan Texas-based creator of Demolition Ranch, did not respond to a telephone connection aliases email connected Sunday, but posted a photograph of Crooks’ bloody corpse wearing his brand’s T-shirt connected societal media pinch nan remark “What nan hell.”

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Mustian reported from New York and Balsamo reported from Chicago. Associated Press writers Marc Levy successful Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Julie Smyth, Lindsey Bahr and Joshua Bickel successful Bethel Park, Michael R. Sisak and Randy Herschaft successful New York, Michael Kunzelman successful Silver Spring, Maryland, and Colleen Long and Eric Tucker successful Washington contributed to this report.