It has been reported that the Secret Service killed 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks after he
fired from a nearby building at Trump, three times before the former president ducked behind his
podium. This was during a July 13th rally and speaking event in Butler, Pennsylvania (Forbes/
BBC).

The Short Version
One bullet grazed Trump’s right ear, causing a minor injury. A view in the stands, Corey Comperatore, died while another sustained an injury in the shooting. An AR-style rifle was found
next to the shooter’s body. Crooks, a 2022 high school graduate and registered Republican, had no criminal history. He once donated $15 to a Democratic campaign but wasn't politically active.

Too young to have voted in a presidential election, Crooks was ID'd by DNA. His father declined to comment. The FBI continues to investigate the motive and whether Crooks acted alone.

Several Elements To Consider Surrounding This High-Profile Assassination Attempt
As reported by Axios, there were 15 “direct assaults” on presidents, presidents-elect and candidates between 1835 and 2005. Additional attacks have been attempted since then on Obama and Trump back in 2016. No one event is more closely related to the Trump assassination attempt on July 13th than the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th president on November 22, 1963. He was killed by a sniper as he rode in a motorcade in downtown Dallas, Texas.

Law Enforcement Slow to Respond to Eye-Witness Reports of Shooter Before Incident –
BBC news released a video with Greg Smith, an eyewitness and Trump supporter, who stated in the video that he and other rally attendees alerted police of “a man bear-crawling up the side of a
building.” Smith conveyed how the authorities didn’t know how to respond nor directly replied to them.

How/What Did He Shoot – TMZ showed a video of Crooks, seen lying on his stomach on a rooftop with a rifle in hand. “The guy has longer brown hair, and he seems to be wearing a grey
shirt/khaki pants – and as you can see, he’s carefully trying [to] pinpoint a target from afar before pulling the trigger,” TMZ reported. Al-Jazeera news released details of the weapon.

Where Did He Shoot From – New York Times, BBC and Al-Jazeera news all released maps of where the shooter was situated in relation to the stage where trump was speaking. There were law enforcement snipers positioned on a warehouse rooftop just behind the bleachers behind the stage and just a couple hundred yards away from where the shooter positioned himself. Here are side-by-side aerial images of where the shooting took place, from two points-of-view

(NYT – left, Al-Jazeera – right).

Where Was Trump Hit With The Bullet – A ballistics expert with the FBI, for over 22 years, said it was plausible for a New York Times photographer to capture the bullet in flight, although
the bullet in the photo is too low to have hit Trump in upper part of his ear.

Shooter’s Background – A Reuters article details the background of Crooks, the suspect in the Trump assassination attempt. He was a registered Republican. Crooks, described by a former classmate as quiet and highly intelligent, excelled academically and received a $500 award from the National Math and Science Initiative. The Bethel Park School District is cooperating with the investigation.

Legal Gun and No Indication of Mental Health Issues – Senior FBI officials confirmed with NewsNation that Crooks had “no indication of mental health issues,” and that no threats toward
the president or event have been found. Officials also said a legally-obtained AR-style 556 rifle (also described as AR-15-style rifle – Secret Service said to ABC News). It was located “at scene
adjacent to shooter.” It was purchased by Crooks’ father, but how the 20-year-old accessed it is unknown at this time. The shooter’s family is cooperating with law enforcement.

Those Who Knew the Shooter – Residents of Bethel Park, a blue-collar city of 33,000, expressed shock at the incident. The Crooks family home was surrounded by police, and neighbors reported no prior issues with the family. A local gun shop owner stated he didn't sell firearms to Crooks or for use in the shooting, but was evasive about sales to family members. He
noted the area's strong hunting tradition and numerous gun clubs.

Shooter On Social Media – Discord reported Crooks had an infrequently used account with no evidence of attack planning or political discussions. Meta did not immediately respond regarding
potential accounts on their platforms. It has been reported that Trump said if he were elected, he would put Mark Zuckerberg in jail; although it was Meta (Facebook previously) that helped get
Trump elected in the 2016 election with strategic ad placements. And with the help of millions of Steve Bannon’s dollars. Steve is Trump’s longtime advisor and confidant, now serving a four month prison sentence.

Many articles to date in mainstream news media highlight the contrast between Crooks' academic achievements and the violent act he's accused of, leaving the community questioning
what led to this extreme action.

The crime scene is still being processed, and DNA, weapon and fingerprint testing continues.

################

We value your opinion! Please take a moment to share your thoughts by filling out our brief survey linked below this article.