A 20-year-old registered Republican named Thomas Matthew Crooks has been identified as the gunman who shot into a Trump rally Saturday evening, slicing the earlobe of Republican martyr and presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, killing one spectator and wounding another.
From Bethel Park, a suburban Pittsburgh community about 40 miles from the shooting sight, Crooks’s background matches that of many people who commit violent public acts: he was quiet and unassuming.
A 2022 high school graduate, he was recognized with a “star award” and a $500 prize for achievement in math and science during his senior year. The upcoming election would have been the first national contest Crooks was eligible to vote in, although he did make a $15 contribution to the Progressive Turnout Project, a voter registration effort, in 2021 when he was 17.
Contacted by CNN, Crooks’ father was naturally confused and overwhelmed, saying he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but would “wait until I talk to law enforcement.” It’s unclear if Crooks lived with his parents.