Current:Home > FinanceEchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center|What we know about the 20-year-old suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump -ProgressCapital
EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center|What we know about the 20-year-old suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump
Oliver James Montgomery View
Date:2025-04-10 19:30:10
WASHINGTON (AP) — The EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Centerman identified as the shooter in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump was a 20-year-old from a Pittsburg suburb not far from the campaign rally where one attendee was killed.
Authorities say Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire at the rally before being killed by Secret Service on Saturday, days before Trump was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time.
An FBI official said late Saturday that investigators had not yet determined a motive. One attendee was killed and two spectators were critically injured, authorities said.
Relatives of Crooks didn’t immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN late Saturday that he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but wouldn’t speak about his son until after he talked to law enforcement.
Crooks’ political leanings were not immediately clear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in to office.
Public Pennsylvania court records show no past criminal cases against Crooks.
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
- We want to hear from you: If you didn’t vote in the 2020 election, would anything change your mind about voting?
- Read the latest: Follow AP’s live coverage of this year’s election.
The FBI released his identity early Sunday morning, hours after the shooting. Authorities told reporters that Crooks was not carrying identification so they were using DNA and other methods to confirm his identity.
Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
An AP analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos from the scene of the Trump rally, as well as satellite imagery of the site, shows the shooter was able to get close to the stage where the former president was speaking.
A video posted to social media and geolocated by the AP shows the body of a person wearing gray camouflage lying motionless on the roof of a building at AGR International Inc., a manufacturing plant just north of the Butler Farm Show grounds where Trump’s rally was held.
The roof where the person lay was less than 150 meters (164 yards) from where Trump was speaking, a distance from which a decent marksman could reasonably hit a human-sized target. For reference, 150 meters is a distance at which U.S. Army recruits must hit a scaled human-sized silhouette to qualify with the M-16 rifle.
Investigators believe the weapon was bought by the father at least six months ago, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.
The officials said federal agents were still working to understand when and how Thomas Crooks obtained the gun. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity
_____
Associated Press reporter Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Mike Balsamo in Chicago and Colleen Long in Washington contributed.
veryGood! (24)
Related
- Video shows dog chewing cellphone battery pack, igniting fire in Oklahoma home
- Teacher still missing after Helene floods pushed entire home into North Carolina river
- 'So many hollers': Appalachia's remote terrain slows recovery from Helene
- Massachusetts governor puts new gun law into effect immediately
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Terence Crawford cites the danger of Octagon in nixing two-fight deal with Conor McGregor
- Down 80%: Fidelity says X has plummeted in value since Elon Musk's takeover
- Influential prophesizing pastors believe reelecting Trump is a win in the war of angels and demons
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Why is October 3 'Mean Girls' Day? Here's why Thursday's date is the most 'fetch' of them all
Ranking
- New Orleans mayor’s former bodyguard making first court appearance after July indictment
- Judge denies Wisconsin attorney general’s request to review Milwaukee archdiocese records
- How Love Is Blind’s Nick Really Feels About Leo After Hannah Love Triangle in Season 7
- Comedian Jeff Wittek Says He Saw Live Sex at Sean Diddy Combs' Freak-Off Party
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Prosecutors’ closing argument prompts mistrial request from lawyers for cop accused of manslaughter
- 'Survivor' Season 47, Episode 3: Who was voted out during this week's drama-filled episode?
- TikTok star 'Mr. Prada' arrested after Baton Rouge therapist found dead in tarp along road
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
CGI babies? What we know about new 'Rugrats' movie adaptation
New Vegas residency will celebrate the 'crazy train called Mötley Crüe,' Nikki Sixx says
The fate of Nibi the beaver lands in court as rescuers try to stop her release into the wild
The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
NHL predictions for 2024-25 season: Who will win Stanley Cup, top awards?
Judge denies Wisconsin attorney general’s request to review Milwaukee archdiocese records
The flood of ghost guns is slowing after regulation. It’s also being challenged in the Supreme Court