Trump shooter saw rally as ‘target of opportunity,’ FBI assesses

The gunman who opened fire on former President Trump researched a number of events from both parties before becoming “hyper-focused” on the campaign rally in Butler, Pa., as a “target of opportunity.” 

Speaking with reporters Wednesday, various FBI officials said they have not yet determined what motivated 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks to engage in political violence but found he was not initially fixated on any one political figure.

“We saw through our analysis of all his — particularly his online searches — a sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack on some event, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets. And then, when this event was announced — the Trump rally was announced early in July — he became hyper focused on that specific event and looked at it as a target of opportunity,” Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh FBI field office, said when asked about the subject’s “mindset.”

“We are not ready to make any conclusive statements regarding motive at this time.”

Crooks had also done searches relating to both the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention.

His searches relating to how to build a bomb went as far back as 2019.

“We see no definitive ideology associated with our subject, either left leaning or right leaning. It’s really been a mixture and something that we’re still attempting to analyze and draw conclusions on,” Rojek added.

Crooks was taken out by a Secret Service countersniper after he fired eight shots, including one that pierced Trump’s ear during the July 13 rally, while also wounding two others and killing rally attendee Corey Comperatore.

The call was the third such update from the FBI, which is responsible for investigating the shooting, pushing back on what the agency referred to as conspiracy theories floated after the attack.

The FBI has yet to uncover any evidence that Crooks worked with an accomplice or at the direction of any foreign government, it said.

The agency also specifically ruled out chatter about a second shooter.

“I can confirm that there was no second shooter shooting at the former president. We know that there were 10 rounds fired that day, eight from our subject, one from a local law enforcement officer and one from the Secret Service sniper,” Rojek said.

“All the rounds have been accounted for and attributed to those three individuals.”

The agency also noted it has completed its victim interview with Trump, something it previously described as “standard,” along with interviews of 1,000 other witnesses.

“During this productive interview, agents took the time to provide the former president with an in-depth briefing on the investigation and answered his questions regarding the attempt on his life. We’re grateful to the former president for his cooperation and his time,” Rojek said.

The agency also declined to rule out whether Crook’s family was a target in the probe but stressed numerous times that they’ve been highly cooperative with the investigation.

Investigators also released new photos of evidence taken from the scene, including the weapon the gunman used for the shooting as well as shots of the explosive devices left in his car.

Updated: 3:03 p.m.