The gunman who fired shots at former President Donald Trump in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday night has been identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper, officials said.
One audience member at the rally, Pennsylvania firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting, and two other men are in critical condition, officials said.
Who was the shooter?
In a statement, the FBI said:
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
Federal investigators said the gunman was not carrying identification, so they analyzed his DNA to provide a biometric confirmation of his identity.
Crooks was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb about an hour south of Butler. The town in Allegheny County is home to about 30,000 people and has one high school with about 1,300 students.
Bethel Park School District confirmed to CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA that Crooks was a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School. School officials pledged to work with law enforcement investigating the shooting, and offered condolences to those affected by the attack.
Former classmate Jameson Myers, a member of the school’s varsity rifle team, told CBS News that Crooks had tried out for the team freshman year but did not make the junior varsity roster and did not return to try out for the team in subsequent years.
He called Crooks a “nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone,” and he said, “I never have thought him capable of anything I’ve seen him do in the last few days.”
Fellow classmate Summer Barkley told CBS Pittsburgh reporter Megan Schiller that although Crooks wasn’t popular, he still had a group of friends and was a good student beloved by teachers. She said she didn’t see any red flags that would lead her to believe he would do something like this.
Mark Sigafoos, who graduated with Crooks and sat near him in class, told CBS News that while it was possible Crooks was bullied in school, he never personally saw it happen. Sigafoos described him as smart, friendly and frequently engaged during class, “definitely nerdy for sure,” but said he “never gave off that he was creepy or like a school shooter.”
“He seemed like he wouldn’t hurt a fly,” he said.
Another classmate, Jason Koehler, had a somewhat different view, telling Schiller that Crooks was a loner who was bullied relentlessly for his appearance and wore camo/hunting outfits in class. He said Crooks would often sit in the cafeteria alone before class. He also said Crooks was very COVID-conscious and wore a surgical mask long after they were required.
Crooks graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County in May 2024 with an Associate in Science degree in Engineering Science, a spokesperson for the college confirmed to CBS News. Crooks also worked at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as a dietary aide, according to the facility’s administrator.
Crooks also had a membership at a nearby gun club for at least a year. Bill Sellitto, the president of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in Clairton, Pennsylvania, told CBS News that Crooks was a member.
“We can confirm that Mr. Crooks was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club. Beyond that, the club is unable to make any additional commentary in relation to this matter in light of pending law enforcement investigations,” Sellitto said in a statement. “Obviously, the Club fully admonishes the senseless act of violence that occurred yesterday.”
A law enforcement source noted that at the time of the shooting, the gunman was wearing a shirt that apparently read “DemolitionRanch,” a popular gun-related YouTube channel with over 11 million subscribers.
What was his motive?
“We do not currently have an identified motive,” said Kevin Rojek, FBI Pittsburgh special agent in charge, at a briefing late Saturday night.
A law enforcement official said early Sunday that there are no foreign terrorism ties known at this time and the suspect was not on the radar of law enforcement, although they are still running his name down.
There was also no indication that Crooks ever had a connection to any military branch, officials confirmed to CBS News.
Crooks’ political leanings were not immediately clear. Records show he was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania but previously made a $15 donation to a Democratic-aligned group, KDKA reported.
A law enforcement official said early Sunday that the Secret Service and the FBI are investigating the suspect’s background and speaking with his family. The FBI has secured his home and federal law enforcement is searching his family’s residence in suburban Pittsburgh, the law enforcement official said.
An FBI official said the family of the shooter is cooperating with investigators.
FBI officials told reporters during a press call Sunday afternoon that determining the motive is the primary objective of the agency’s investigation, but no ideology has been identified as a motive so far. Officials also said there was no indication of Crooks having mental health issues.
Crooks did have a social media presence, the FBI officials said. Agents are combing through his posts and emails but have found nothing so far that reveals a motive or anything threatening. The investigation so far has indicated that Crooks acted alone and that there is no continued threat.
The agency also has Crooks’ cellphone and is working to gain access to its contents. Meanwhile, the public has submitted over 2,000 tips to the FBI for examination.
What weapon did he have?
The gunman was armed with a semiautomatic AR-style rifle, multiple law enforcement sources said.
Two law enforcement sources told CBS News on Sunday the gun was legally purchased by and registered to the shooter’s father, Matthew Crooks.
The gunman opened fire from the roof of a shed outside of the cordoned-off rally area, about 400 feet from the stage, multiple sources said.
A law enforcement source confirmed Sunday that suspicious devices were found in the gunman’s vehicle. CBS News has learned the shooter had a device in his possession that appeared to be capable of triggering those suspicious devices. Bomb technicians called to the scene were involved in securing and investigating the devices.
What protections were there for Trump?
Trump said in a social media post that a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear. He was checked at a local hospital before leaving the area under Secret Service protection and flying to New Jersey late Saturday night.
Trump’s Secret Service detail was given additional assets that are part of the protocol for the presumptive nominee due to his heavy campaigning, which includes additional manpower, counter-sniper, drones and robotic dogs, the law enforcement official said. On Saturday, there were four counter-sniper teams on site, the official said.
Additionally, Trump’s teleprompter is protective and the flag and podium banners are made of steel, the law enforcement official said.
In a statement Sunday morning, U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the agency recently “added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail,” and said any suggestion that they had rebuffed a request for more security “is absolutely false.”
“The U. S. Secret Service takes threats seriously, and it takes actions based on those threats as warranted,” he said. “The U.S. Secret Service is constantly evaluating the very dynamic threat environment and responding to it in the fulfillment of its responsibilities.”
The FBI is leading the investigation into the shooting. On Sunday, President Biden said he has ordered an independent review into what took place.
What did witnesses see?
One man who was at the rally said that soon after Trump started speaking, he saw a man “bear crawling” up a building.
“We’re pointing at the guy,” said the witness, named Greg. “He had a rifle — you could literally see him with a rifle.” He told the BBC that he and others told the police and were pointing him out to U.S. Secret Service agents. He estimated that the man was on the roof for “three or four minutes” before shots were heard.
Other witnesses told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA that they also saw the gunman and tried to alert officers before the shooting.
Clare Hymes, Robert Legare, Andres Triay and Megan Schiller contributed reporting.
