Donald Trump assassination attempt: Suspect had registered as Republican but motive unknown

BUTLER, Pennsylvania — A 20-year-old Pennsylvania man was suspected to have been the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, firing several shots and killing at least one spectator, federal and local law enforcement agencies said.

The FBI early on Sunday identified the suspect, who was killed at the scene, as Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pa. Bethel Park is about ten miles south of Pittsburgh and about 50 miles south of the rally in Butler.

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An image shows what is believed to be the suspected gunman shot on roof of nearby building close to former President Donald Trump’s rally in in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

The FBI did not “currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said.

Crooks had been registered as a Republican voter, according to state records. He graduated from high school in Pennsylvania in 2022, district officials said. The branches of the U.S. military branch told ABC News they didn’t have any records matching the shooter.

Thomas Crooks

Credit: Bethel Park School District

The firearm recovered at the scene was legally purchased by the suspect’s father, an urgent trace conducted by ATF found, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

“We’re looking into his background, his day-to-day activities, any writings and social media posts that might help us identify what led to this shooting. And we have not seen anything threatening,” Rojek said.

Crooks had no known mental illness history and his family is cooperating with federal authorities, he said.

Officials told reporters they don’t have any insights on what the suspect’s actions were prior to opening fire at the shooting site, but said it’s something they are investigating.

According to administrator Marcie Grimm, Crooks was employed as a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Crooks “performed his job without concern” and passed a background check, according to Grimm.

Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation.

Watch the ABC News special, “Trump Assassination Attempt Minute by Minute,” Sunday at 8 p.m. ET | PT on ABC

Shots rang out a few moments after Trump stepped onto an outdoor stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said. The suspect was firing from the roof of a building outside the security perimeter, taking aim from hundreds of feet away from the stage, law enforcement said.

An image shows a person believed to be the suspected gunman shot on a building roof close to a Trump rally, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

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One of the bullets struck Trump in his right ear, the former president said. The U.S. Secret Service said Trump was “safe.”

A Secret Service counter-sniper opened fire and killed the suspect, the agency said. The scene was “chaotic” and “everything unfolded very quickly,” Bevins said.

Law enforcement officials took several hours to publicly identify Crooks as their suspect, saying at a press conference late Saturday that they believed they knew who carried out the shooting, but were refraining from naming the individual.

Officials had said during that press conference that they were using the suspect’s DNA to confirm his identity, because the suspect had not been carrying anything that would have identified him.

PHOTOS: Shots fired at Trump rally in Pennsylvania

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

He graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High, according to the Bethel Park School District. The district said it was limited in what it could disclose publicly, adding that it would “cooperate fully” with the investigation.

Crooks previously sought to join his High School rifle club but was rejected and asked not to return, two students who were members of the team at the time told ABC News.

Both student said Crooks was a “bad shot,” with one adding he wasn’t the right “fit.”

“He didn’t just not make the team, he was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was, it was considered like, dangerous,” said Jameson Myers to ABC News of his former classmate, Thomas Crooks.

The coach of the team at the time declined to comment and referred questions to the school district. A spokesman for the schools did not reply.

As the FBI issued a statement early Sunday naming Crooks, a bureau spokesperson said the investigation remains “active and ongoing.” The FBI urged anyone with photos, videos or information to come forward.

ABC News’ Jack Date, Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas, Isabella Murray, Mark Osborne, Charlotte Slovin, Sasha Pezenik, Matt Seyler and Luis Martines contributed to this report.

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