Thomas Matthew Crooks, identified as the assailant in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump during a campaign rally, has been revealed to have a troubled past marked by isolation and experiences of bullying.
Crooks, a 20-year-old resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a prosperous suburb south of Pittsburgh, was known among classmates as a “loner” who often wore hunting attire to school and endured frequent bullying, according to Jason Kohler, a former classmate.
“He would sit alone at lunch. He was just the outcast,” Kohler remarked, describing Crooks as someone who faced ridicule for his clothing choices and struggled socially.
Despite his interest in firearms, Crooks was reportedly rejected from the school’s rifle team due to poor marksmanship, as Frederick Mach, a team captain, recalled. Michael Dudjak, another former classmate, portrayed Crooks as reserved and not particularly vocal about politics or active on social media.
On the night of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the incident occurred, Crooks used an AR-style rifle, believed to have been legally owned by his father, according to FBI special agent Kevin Rojek. Authorities are investigating whether Crooks had permission to use the firearm.
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Employed as a dietary aide at a local nursing home, Crooks had no prior criminal record and even received a National Maths and Science Initiative Star Award upon graduating from Bethel Park High School in 2022.
During the attack, Crooks was observed wearing a T-shirt associated with the popular firearms YouTube channel, Demolition Ranch, though the channel’s founder, Matt Carriker, expressed shock upon learning of the incident and denied any prior contact with Crooks.
Law enforcement officials, including the FBI, are treating the attack as a potential act of domestic terrorism, emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing and motive remains unclear.
The incident has left the community and law enforcement grappling with the question of what led to this violent act by a young man described as troubled and socially isolated.