As federal authorities continue their investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump over the weekend, questions remain over what the motive was for the 20-year-old gunman to target the former president.
The FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., hours after the shooting unfolded Saturday at the former president’s campaign stop outside of Pittsburgh. Crooks used an AR-style rifle to take aim at Trump during the rally, grazing him in the ear with a bullet.
A rally attendee was killed and two others were injured before a countersniper shot and killed Crooks.
Here’s what we know about the gunman so far:
FBI believes Crooks acted alone
The FBI believes the gunman acted alone in the incident Saturday evening, according to its initial investigation. The law enforcement agency said Crooks was not known to it before the shooting.
The agency is investigating the incident as an attempted assassination of Trump and potential domestic terrorism.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that bombmaking materials were found in the suspected gunman’s car and home. The FBI said in an update Monday that it completed searches of Crooks’s home and vehicle.
It’s not clear what ideological positions he had
Authorities have not released information about what his potential motive was for the shooting. While it’s not clear what ideological positions he may have had, conspiracy theories about the attempted assassination have engulfed social media.
The FBI said in an update Monday that it had gained access to Crooks’s phone. AP reported Crooks appeared to have an account on the chatting app Discord, but a company spokesperson said there was no evidence that he used the platform to discuss violence or share political views.
The AP also noted Crooks was registered as a Republican in Pennsylvania but had donated to $15 to a progressive PAC on Jan. 20, 2021 — the day of President Biden’s inauguration — according to federal campaign finance reports.
Biden urged people not to make assumptions about what Crooks’s motives may have been.
“I urge everyone — everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations,” Biden said in remarks Sunday. “Let the FBI do their job; and their partner agencies do their job. I’ve instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift.”
Following the shooting, the president denounced political violence while also calling for “unity.”
He is believed to have used father’s gun
The firearm used in the shooting was purchased legally, according to the FBI.
Officials said the gun was believed to have been purchased by Crooks’s father.
Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge in Pittsburgh, said authorities are not clear on whether he took the gun with his father’s permission, according to the AP.
He failed to make high school rifle team
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a local news report.
Frederick Mach, a current captain of the high school rifle team, said Crooks did not make the team while he was in school because he was a bad shooter, the AP reported.
Another student who went to the same high school, Jason Kohler, told CNN that the gunman appeared to be a loner and got bullied at times. Other classmates described Crooks to CNN as quiet and shy in high school.
“He wasn’t, like, with the clique. So he always had, I guess, a target on his back,” Kohler told CNN.
The Associated Press contributed.