New details emerge about 20-year-old suspect in Trump rally shooting

(The Hill) -- The FBI has identified a suspect in the Saturday shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The FBI, in a statement obtained by The Hill, said 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is the suspect involved in the incident.

“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the FBI said.

Shots were fired at Trump’s rally Saturday evening in Butler, during which the former president said a bullet pierced his ear. The U.S. Secret Service said the shooter and one spectator at the rally were killed, and two other attendees were critically injured.

Trump appeared to grab his ear and drop behind the lectern when shots rang out at the rally, and Secret Service agents swarmed on top of him. They surrounded him as he stood up, and he put a fist up to the crowd as they led him off stage. Blood could be seen on his ear and face.

Bomb-making materials were found inside Crooks' vehicle near the Trump rally and at his home, according to two officials who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Officials also told the Associated Press that federal agents were still working to understand when and how Crooks obtained the gun used in the shooting.

In a press conference late Saturday night, Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Pittsburgh, said authorities had not yet identified a motive in the incident.

“We do not currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” Rojek said.

Authorities told reporters Crooks wasn’t carrying identification so they were using DNA and other methods to confirm his identity.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022. In a video of the school’s graduation ceremony posted online, Crooks can be seen crossing the stage to receive his diploma, appearing slight of build and wearing glasses. The school district said it will cooperate fully with investigators. His senior year, Crooks was among several students given an award for math and science, according to a Tribune-Review story at the time.

Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school but did not share any classes with Crooks, said Crooks was bullied at school and sat alone at lunch time. Other students mocked him for the way he dressed, such as hunting outfits, Kohler said.

“He was bullied almost every day,” Kohler told reporters. “He was just a outcast, and you know how kids are nowadays.”

Crooks' political leanings were not immediately clear. He was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in to office.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.