FIRST PHOTOS: Feds Raid Pennsylvania Home of Trump Would-Be Assassin — What We Know So Far About Sniper Thomas Matthew Crooks
Trump's shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
July 14 2024, Published 6:52 a.m. ET
Federal agents and police swarmed the Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, home of the evil sicko who attempted to assassinate former president Donald Trump.
RadarOnline.com has obtained photos of the neighborhood crime scene on Milford Drive that was established early Sunday morning.
One image shows an a bomb squad vehicle stationed on the road of what is believed to be the last known address of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was killed by Secret Service snipers.
Officials found explosives during a search of Crooks' vehicle, and more than a dozen guns at his home in Bethel Park.
Another photo shows the street cordoned off with a perimeter of at least one mile having been established.
The FBI turned it into an active and began scouring the home for evidence about the madman, multiple law enforcement sources told RadarOnline.com.
“The FBI is looking for anything that could help them build a profile on Crooks,” the source said.
“They will seize every device in the home to review his computer files and search history, they'll look through every one of his personal belongings, attempt to find a journal or diary—anything that could give them insight into assassin’s motive.”
The heavy police presence woke the sleepy hamlet of Allegheny County, which is about an hour south of Butler where the shooting at the rally occurred, killing one spectator and leaving two others critically injured.
It is considered one of the best places to live in Pennsylvania and has a population of just over 33 thousand people.
"This is a close-knit community, and this incident has shattered us," said one resident, expressing their disbelief and sadness over the tragic events.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was 'an outcast' at Bethel Park High School, a former classmate said.
RadarOnline.com has confirmed additional details about Crooks that paint a complex portrait of the man who caused chaos, sent shockwaves around the world and provoked more questions than provided answers about his motivation to kill Trump, 78.
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022.
He was also registered to vote as a Republican, according to Pennsylvania's voter database; this year’s presidential election would have been his first opportunity to vote.
Federal Election Commission records show a donor named Thomas Crooks with the same Bethel Park address contributed $15 to a Democratic-aligned political action committee, the Progressive Turnout Project, in January 2021.
When contacted by CNN late Saturday night, Crooks' father, Matthew Crooks, expressed his state of confusion.
"I'm trying to figure out what the hell is going on,” he said, adding that he would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before speaking further about his son.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Prior to the attack, Crooks had no known associations with extremist groups, a law enforcement source said.
Friends and acquaintances from Crooks' high school have also described him as a quiet yet intelligent individual who showed no signs of violent tendencies.
"We're all shocked. This is not the Thomas we knew," said one fellow high school graduate who wished to remain anonymous.
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."
"We do not currently have an identified motive," added Kevin Rojek, FBI Pittsburgh special agent in charge, at a briefing Saturday night.
Crooks opened fire with an AR-style rifle from a position on the roof of a shed outside the security perimeter.
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When asked questions about his son and why he wanted to kill Trump, his father, Brian Matthew Crooks said he would not be making any comment and would release a statement when the family's legal counsel told them to.
The former president’s right ear was grazed in the attempted assassination.
Questions have turned to how Crooks was able to scale to the unguarded roof of a building that houses a manufacturing business about 130 yards from the podium where Trump addressed supporters.
A man who was at the rally said that soon after Trump started speaking, he saw a man "bear crawling" up the building.
"We're pointing at the guy," said the witness, named Greg, adding, "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, and he estimated that the man was on the roof for "three or four minutes" before shots were heard.
Witness tried to warn police about a person with a rifle on the roof of a building near the Trump rally before the former president was shot.
Other witnesses said they also saw the gunman and tried to alert officers before the shooting.
The aftermath saw rally attendees scrambling to administer first aid to those hit by the gunfire, struggling with the dense crowd.
Trump was checked at a local hospital before leaving the area under Secret Service protection and flying to New Jersey late Saturday night.
Trump had been treated earlier at a Pennsylvania hospital for wounds to his ear suffered when an assassin opened fire at a rally Saturday evening.