After more than 24 hours have passed assassination of former President Donald Trumpa motive for The actions of the 20-year-old shooter He has not been identified, the FBI said Sunday.
Little is known about the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, although investigators say the investigation is in its early stages and they are still trying to access his cell phone.
The shooter acted alone, but investigators are still working to determine “whether there were any co-conspirators involved in this attack,” the bureau said in a statement. “There are no public safety concerns at this time,” he said. Officials said there was no indication that Crooks had any mental health issues.
At a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, thugs fired multiple shots from a nearby rooftop, missing the former president, killing one rally attendee and injuring two others before being killed by at least one Secret Service sniper.
The man killed was identified as Corey Comperatore, 50, former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. The other two victims are in stable condition.
Trump, who was bent over and exposed with blood on his face, said he had been shot in the ear and felt “the bullet go through his skin.” He arrived in Milwaukee Sunday night for the Republican National Convention.
The FBI said in a statement that the shooting was being investigated “as an attempted assassination and potential domestic terrorism.” According to the US official, there is currently no indication that the shooting at the Trump rally was connected to a foreign actor.
The FBI also said they obtained Crooks’ phone and searched his home and car. The FBI sent the phone to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, to access it, an official said in a press conference on Sunday.
The FBI said the semi-automatic rifle used in the shooting was purchased legally without specifying who it was registered to. The bureau previously said the gun was believed to have been purchased by the 20-year-old’s father, but investigators did not know how the shooter obtained the weapon.
The FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office is leading the investigation in coordination with local, state and federal partners and is appealing to the public for tips. Investigators have already received more than 2,600 tips, the bureau said Sunday afternoon, adding that the Crooks family is cooperating with investigators.
Little is known about Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and neither investigators nor reporters have found an online presence that would suggest why the two-year high school senior targeted the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Crooks was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in Pittsburgh, which had a number of shooting ranges. He was a registered Republican and was seen donating $15 to the Progressive Participant Project in 2021.
He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, and former classmates described him as a loner. Jason Kohler, 21, said he was sometimes “bullied” for wearing the hunting outfit he regularly wears in high school. Michael Dudjak, 20, who went to school with Crooks, said he was quiet and didn’t remember being vocal about politics or being active on social media.
According to the college, Crooks graduated from Allegheny County Community College in May 2024 with an associate degree in engineering.
The school said in a statement: “Like all Americans, we are shocked and saddened by the horrific events that took place on Saturday in Butler, Pa. We are grateful and extend our condolences to the family of Corey Comperatore for his safe and sound recovery. and our thoughts and prayers to all others affected by this tragedy.”
The school is cooperating with investigators and “will release information in accordance with college policies, law enforcement protocols and practices,” the statement said.
Most recently, Crooks was employed at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The agency said in a statement that “his background check is clean” and that he “performed his work without any concerns.”