Trump shooter’s Discord presence suggests Thomas Crooks' preference for anonymity, experts say: What it means
Would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks knew he was going to die and wanted to go out with a 'splash,' retired FBI agent Jim Clemente told Fox News Digital.
The 20-year-old loner who attempted to assassinate former President Trump on Saturday had an account on the encrypted Discord app, a sign that he preferred anonymous interactions to real-world relationships, experts told Fox News Digital.
A spokesperson for the platform confirmed that Thomas Matthew Crooks had an account and that it had been deactivated by Discord after the assassination attempt that wounded Trump and killed a rally attendee.
"It was rarely utilized, has not been used in months, and we have found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident, promote violence or discuss his political views," the spokesperson said. "Discord strongly condemns violence of any kind, including political violence, and we will continue to coordinate closely with law enforcement."
Fox News learned late Wednesday that Crooks wrote an ominous message on the gaming platform Steam, "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." His laptop also had searches in early July for Trump, Biden, when is DNC convention, and July 13 Trump rally.
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Retired FBI agent and behavior analysis expert Jim Clemente said the Discord community is especially popular with gamers and that Crooks' usage comes as no surprise.
"It's encrypted, so it does provide a level of privacy and anonymity," he said. "So, somebody who might feel disenfranchised, a loner who felt bullied, those kinds of people, it’s very common for them to spend more time online interacting with others rather than the real world because their experiences with the real world are so negative."
Crooks, who graduated from Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania in 2022, was relentlessly bullied over his appearance and awkward social graces, classmates have told numerous outlets.
One peer said he would often sit alone during lunch and was teased without mercy.
"It doesn’t surprise me that he has a Discord account and not a Facebook account, which is very interactive and image-based and extremely social," Clemente said. "Discord is a more private way to communicate."
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Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole also highlighted Discord's popularity with avid video game players and said Crooks may well have been a regular gamer.
"It's fantasy life," she said. "They get lost in it, and it makes them feel like a big man. If he were really active, that would be one thing, but the fact that he wasn’t, we just don't know much about him. He’s the kind of person you'd walk right past without even blinking. He was so nondescript."
O'Toole also noted that Crooks appeared to have a very limited social media footprint.
"If you're bullied in reality in school, you wouldn't risk being bullied online," she said. "It’s called social media for a reason. You're relating to other people in a society, and this kid was a loner and possibly because he was bullied so badly from the way he looked, the way he dressed."
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O'Toole said young people who are outwardly mute are often raging internally.
"It's the quiet ones you have to worry about because you don't know what they're thinking," she said. "That statement really applies to this situation. The bureau has his computers. They got his phone. His parents have been very cooperative. If he's the kind of person who wrote down his thoughts in any way, it's going to come out."
Clemente said his parents – both counselors – appeared oblivious to the level of his inner torment.
Crooks, he said, was likely aware that he would not emerge from the incident alive.
"I believe he knew he would not survive this event, and he wanted to make the biggest possible splash in the process," he said. "I do know that he probably felt it was fortuitous that an opportunity presented itself so close to home that he was able to take advantage of it."
Crooks opened fire from a rooftop at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, clipping Trump's right ear and killing volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore.
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Two other people were injured before Secret Service agents shot and killed Crooks.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.