In a shocking turn of events at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Donald Trump was caught in a harrowing encounter when gunfire erupted.
The rally, which had gathered Trump supporters from various regions, took a dramatic turn when the former president, at 78 years old, had just begun to address the crowd. As the shots were fired, Trump was seen clutching his wounded right ear before sinking to his knees. Secret Service agents quickly sprang into action, shielding him with their bodies. Moments later, Trump reappeared, and despite the chaos, managed to pump his fist in the air before being escorted to safety. The crowd was left in a mix of shock and confusion, with the seriousness of the event sinking in as they learned that one attendee had died and two others were critically injured.
The Secret Service managed to identify the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. A video that surfaced from TMZ showed Crooks laying flat on his stomach on a rooftop (100 yards away from the rally) with a rifle. He had longer brown hair and was wearing a grey shirt with khaki pants.
What do we know about Thomas Matthew Crooks?
Thomas Matthew Crooks wasn’t a name known to many before this incident. He was a young man, just 20 years old, living a quiet life in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, in a place called Bethel Park. The house where he lived, a modest three-bedroom brick building, was owned by his parents, Matthew and Mary Crooks, since 1998.
Despite the violent act he committed, Crooks had no previous run-ins with the law. His record was clean, with no criminal history in Pennsylvania or any other state. He wasn’t known in the federal court databases either, which makes one wonder what pushed the young man to take such extreme measures. Interestingly, Crooks was registered as a Republican, actively participating in voting since 2021. This detail adds a layer of complexity, considering he targeted a leading figure of his own political party.
The day after the rally, the airspace above Bethel Park was closed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Meanwhile, Crooks’ community and his family were left grappling with the reality of the situation. His father mentioned waiting to speak to law enforcement before making any statements. As the investigation continues, everyone is looking for answers, hoping to understand why this happened and how to prevent something like this in the future.