9 facts about Thomas Matthew Crooks, the Trump rally shooter

The shooter reportedly prepared his failed assassination attempt within 10 days, just after the July 3 announcement of a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, not far from his home. He reportedly visited the rally site twice, scouting ahead of the event scheduled for July 13.

The timeline of events reveals that 19 minutes elapsed between the moment Crooks was designated a suspect by law enforcement, after being reported by rally attendees, and the moment he began firing in the direction of Trump and spectators.

The shooter’s internet history reveals that he had been researching political events since the spring, including the Republican and Democratic conventions, as well as the dates of Donald Trump’s rallies. He had also researched major depressive disorder.

Crooks possessed images of Trump and President Biden. In addition, according to CNN, he also had images of House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rudy Giuliani and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

According to Britain’s Channel 4 News, in 2016 the Trump campaign compiled a database containing millions of voters from several key states, and Matthew Brian Crooks, the suspect’s father, was among them. Trump’s team had estimated that Crooks was a gun owner and hunter, likely to react strongly to messages in favor of gun rights.

A few hours before the rally, the shooter purchased a ladder from a local Home Depot store and reportedly also made a stop to acquire ammunition. In the end, the ladder was not used, as he reportedly climbed an air-conditioning unit to gain access to the roof.

Although most of the information was extracted from the phone he was carrying during the rally, another phone was found at his home. Few details are available about its use, but it seems to have contained only a few contacts.

Although a thorough investigation is still underway, it has yet to determine a clear motive or confirm the shooter’s political affiliations. On the day of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, he donated $15 to a pro-Democrat political action committee. However, just days after celebrating his 18th birthday, Crooks registered as a Republican on the voter rolls.

The FBI conducted more than 200 interviews with witnesses, neighbors, family members and people close to the suspect. The testimonies relayed by the media present contradictions: while some portray him as a politically engaged person who had suffered harassment, others present him as an introverted and solitary person, but who would not have been a victim of intimidation.