By Nathan Layne, Gabriella Borter and Tyler Clifford
BETHEL PARK, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -The portrait pieced together so far of the 20-year-old nursing home aide who allegedly tried to assassinate Donald Trump at an election rally reveals frustratingly little about why he would make such an attempt – or how he managed to come so close to killing the former president.
The early details that have emerged about Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot dead by law enforcement, show a young man working an entry-level job near his hometown in Pennsylvania, where he graduated from high school in 2022 with a reputation as a bright but quiet classmate.
The FBI said on Sunday that his social media profile does not contain threatening language, nor have they found any history of mental health issues. They said he acted alone and have not identified a motive.
What is unique about Crooks — when compared to other recent shooters who opened fire at schools, churches, malls and parades — is that he came within inches of killing a presidential candidate.
Saturday afternoon, Crooks slipped into a rooftop location 150 yards (140 meters) from the stage where Trump was speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania. He then began firing an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, purchased by his father, authorities said.
The gunfire killed a 50-year-old man, critically wounded two other spectators, and struck Trump’s ear – an assassination attempt that has further inflamed an already bitter U.S. political divide.
A resident of Bethel Park, about an hour away from where the shooting occurred, Crooks was a registered Republican who would have been eligible to cast his first presidential vote in the Nov. 5 election in which Trump is challenging President Joe Biden. Public records show his father is a registered Republican and his mother a registered Democrat.
Crooks was employed as a dietary aide at a nursing home at the time of the shooting, the home’s administrator said in a statement. Marcie Grimm, the administrator of the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, said the home learned on Sunday morning that Crooks was the suspected gunman in the assassination attempt.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean,” Grimm said, adding that the home was cooperating with law enforcement. She declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.
Two years ago, Crooks graduated from the local high school, where received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative.
While there, he did not show any particular interest in politics, according to a classmate, who asked not to be identified. Rather, his interests centered on building computers and playing games.
Crooks often kept to himself, the classmate said, and politics never came up. Their conversations revolved around school, the classmate said.
“He was super smart. That’s what really kind of threw me off was, this was, like, a really, really smart kid, like he excelled,” the classmate said. “Nothing crazy ever came up in any conversation.”
The classmate added that he had not seen or heard from Crooks since they graduated.
Residents near the Crooks’ home described feeling shocked and unsettled that an assassination attempt has been linked to a person from the sedate city of 33,000 people.
“Bethel Park is a pretty blue-collar type of area, and to think that somebody was that close is a little insane,” said Wes Morgan, a 42-year-old who works at an investment management company and bikes with his children on the same street as the Crooks’ residence.
A couple standing on the porch of their nearby brick ranch-style home was left processing the events and spotlight on their neighborhood.
“There’s never been a gun issue. There’s never been the police being called,” Mary Priselac, 67, said alongside her husband. “You kind of have to wonder what didn’t he get in life? What led to this extreme?”
Crooks’ gun — an AR-style 556 rifle — had been legally bought, the FBI officials said, adding that the FBI believed it had been purchased by the suspect’s father. The officials said “a suspicious device” was found in the suspect’s vehicle, which was inspected by bomb technicians and rendered safe.
Bruce Piendl, owner of Allegheny Arms and Gunworks in Bethel Park, said that after learning about the shooting, he checked his records.
“We did not sell any firearms to the shooter,” Piendl said. “We did not sell a firearm that was used in the shooting to the family.”
When asked whether he had sold any firearms to Crooks family members, he declined to provide a direct answer.
“That’s between me and God,” Piendl said.
“You have to understand in western Pennsylvania we have a rich tradition of hunting and fishing and outdoor stuff,” Piendl said when asked about the number of gun shops in the region. “Within 10 miles (16 km) of here, there are a ton of gun clubs.”
Reuters was not able to identify social media accounts or other online postings by Crooks. However, Discord said on Sunday that he had an account on the instant messaging platform.
“We have identified an account that appears to be linked to the suspect; it was rarely utilized and we have found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident or discuss his political views,” Discord said in a statement.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook (NASDAQ:) and Instagram, did not immediately respond to questions on whether the platforms had removed any accounts related to the suspect.