Chilling New FBI Docs Reveal Donald Trump's Rally Shooter Thomas Crooks Was 'Quiet Loner' and 'Emotionless Since Birth'
Newly-released FBI files have revealed more details about Donald Trump's rally shooter Thomas Crooks.
Sept. 15 2026, Published 5:16 p.m. ET
Chilling details surrounding Donald Trump's would-be assassin Thomas Crooks have been disclosed in newly-released FBI documents.
RadarOnline.com can reveal files surrounding the late 20-year-old – who was killed by a counter-sniper after he fired shots at Trump on July 13, 2024, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania – have given an insight into his childhood and funeral arrangements.
Parents May Not Have Been Able to Afford Funeral
The shooting left Trump with a wound on his right ear.
Among the revelations included in the docs were an "anonymous donor" paid for Crooks’ cremation.
The FBI documents were provided to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as part of his inquiry into the attempt on Trump's life and reviewed by the New York Post.
The document noted his father Matthew was "retired" and that his wife, Mary, was on leave from work, suggesting the possibility that the family couldn't pay for Crooks' funeral arrangements.
Representative Clay Higgins from Louisiana first revealed Crooks was cremated, saying he found it disturbing that his body was handed over to the family only two weeks after the assassination attempt, per The Post.
'No Signs Something Was Wrong'
Crooks' dad Matthew did not foresee any issues with son ahead of shooting.
"My effort to examine Crooks' body on Monday, August 5 (2024), caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact… the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after (July 13)," the Republican wrote in a letter to the bipartisan congressional task force looking into the security failures around the shooting.
Interviews with Crooks' father were also featured prominently in the newly-released files.
Matthew said that despite his son's behavior, he "never showed any signs indicating something was wrong" in the time leading up to the shooting.
Talking about his son’s upbringing, Matthew admits his son was quiet, rarely laughed and was hard to understand. He said they "never really had a father/son bond."
'Started Talking to Himself'
Crooks' troubles started to become clear at college, his father claimed.
He noted his son was quiet to an extent where when he was born "he did not scream and he was always quiet from that point on," with Matthew and Mary believing their son may have ADHD.
Matthew admits his son’s lack of emotion frustrated him to such an extent he "pushed" Thomas until he cried after he dumped a full container of fish food into his sister's fish tank in response to an argument.
The father did note that his son would eventually become a little more animated in elementary school, but only to act out because "he was bored."
He once wrecked a school desk and briefly befriended what his father saw as a "bad" group of other children.
Things grew worse in high school, as Thomas got quieter and quieter, started talking to himself and struggled to talk to his teachers, Matthew claimed.
His interest in guns sparked rare excitement, as his dad told how Thomas joined a gun club when the pandemic began, saying "he could not hit" paper targets.
After about four to five years of practicing, he became a solid shooter, noting that he began trying to hit targets from further and further distances, explaining that "he wanted to see how far he could shoot with rudimentary sights."
He began buying big quantities of "parts, tools and items to increase the capacity of his rifle" off Amazon, using the name of former Senator and presidential candidate "Bob Dole" as a pseudonym.
Thomas started to build things using a 3D printer, even once creating a Glock 19 that he immediately got rid of after firing a single round, as he was said to have been worried that the frame would explode.
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Crooks' father says he was more critical of Trump than son.
On politics, Matthew said, "Thomas called himself a Republican. Thomas did not like the welfare state and was against the 'woke' ideology but never really espoused the Republican ideology."
He noted, however, that his son didn't seem to gravitate to either party — crediting Thomas' status as a registered Republican to his own — and that they would often make fun of politicians from both parties.
Thomas "did not believe the 2020 presidential election was rigged" and "expressed shock" over the events of January 6, 2021, Matthew claimed. However, he said overall he was more critical of Trump than his son had been.
