Portrait of the 20-year-old who tried to assassinate Donald Trump

Police are continuing to investigate the suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and the motive behind his shooting from a nearby rooftop at a campaign rally, killing a spectator. After the shooting, Crooks was shot and killed by the US Secret Service.

The FBI said on July 14 that it had not yet identified any threatening texts or social media posts by Crooks, who graduated from high school two years ago and has no criminal record, according to public court records. The FBI believes he acted alone.

Thomas Matthew Crooks in a school photo taken in 2020. Photo: Reuters

On social media, Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, said the upper part of his right ear was pierced in the shooting.

The suspect's father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN late on July 13 that he was trying to figure out "what the hell is going on" and would not talk about his son until he spoke to police.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. In a video of the school’s graduation ceremony posted online, Crooks can be seen walking across the stage to receive his diploma, looking thin and wearing glasses. The school district said it would cooperate fully with investigators. In his senior year, Crooks was one of several students who received awards in math and science, according to a Tribune-Review article at the time.

Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same school but was not in the same class as Crooks, said Crooks was bullied at school almost every day and often sat alone at lunch. Other students made fun of Crooks for the way he dressed.

Jason Kolher, who attended school with Thomas Matthew Crooks, speaks to the media in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania on July 14. Photo: Reuters

Crooks worked at a nursing home as a nutrition aide, a job that involved preparing food. Marcie Grimm, the nursing home's administrator, said she was "shocked and saddened" to learn of Crooks' involvement in the incident. Grimm added that Crooks had a clean background check when he was hired.

Crooks' political leanings are unclear. Records show he is registered as a Republican in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he donated $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day Democratic President Joe Biden was sworn into office.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said Crooks was not previously known to county investigators and was not on their radar. He said the investigation so far has not found any evidence that Crooks coordinated with anyone else in the area.

On July 14, a barricade was erected to block traffic near the Crooks home, located in the hills outside Pittsburgh, about an hour’s drive from the Trump rally. Police cars were stationed at an intersection near the home and officers were seen walking through the neighborhood.

Bomb-making materials were found in Crooks’ car near the Trump rally and at his home, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. A white Allegheny County Sheriff’s office truck identified as a bomb squad arrived at the suspect’s home on July 14.

Police recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene of the shooting. Investigators believe the weapon was purchased by the suspect’s father at least six months ago.

A video posted on social media showed Crooks, wearing a gray T-shirt with a black American flag on his right arm, lying motionless on the roof of a manufacturing plant just north of the Butler Farm Show grounds where Mr Trump’s rally was taking place.

Images of Crooks' body show that he appeared to be wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a popular YouTube channel with more than 11.6 million subscribers that regularly posts videos of him firing pistols and assault rifles at targets including mannequins and vehicles.

Two FBI investigators on the roof of the building where Matthew Thomas Crooks opened fire on Mr Trump. Photo: GI

Also on July 14, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, said Crooks appeared briefly in a 2022 ad for the company, along with other students in the background. The ad was filmed at Crooks’ school, Bethel Park High School.

BlackRock did not describe the content of the ad but said the footage would be provided to authorities. The company said it would remove and de-circulate the ad.

"The assassination attempt on former President Trump was abhorrent. We are grateful that former President Trump was not seriously injured. Our thoughts are also with all the innocent bystanders and victims of this horrific act, especially the person who lost his life," Blackrock said.

Hoai Phuong (according to AP, Bloomberg)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chan-dung-ke-am-sat-ong-donald-trump-post303496.html