what happened to thomas crooks

Thomas Crooks was the 20‑year‑old gunman who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024; he was shot and killed on site by a Secret Service counter‑sniper, and later investigations concluded he acted alone, with no confirmed motive publicly established as of late 2025.

What Happened to Thomas Crooks?

Quick Scoop

• Thomas Matthew Crooks, age 20, opened fire on President Donald Trump during a July 13, 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

• He used an AR‑15–style rifle from a nearby rooftop and fired multiple rounds toward the stage.

• Trump was hit in the upper right ear but survived; one attendee was killed and others were critically injured.

• Crooks was shot and killed moments later by a Secret Service counter‑sniper team, ending the attack.

• A major federal investigation later stated that Crooks acted alone, though questions and online debates about his motive and security failures remain intense.

The Day of the Attack

On July 13, 2024, Trump was speaking at an outdoor campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Pennsylvania when shots suddenly rang out from an elevated position near the venue. Witnesses and video showed Trump reaching for his ear, ducking, and being pulled down and covered by Secret Service agents as the crowd realized there was an active shooter.

Crooks had positioned himself on a nearby rooftop with a semi‑automatic AR‑15–style rifle and fired several rounds toward the stage. One rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed shielding his family, and at least two others were critically injured before law‑enforcement counter‑snipers located and shot Crooks dead.

What Happened to Crooks Himself

• Law enforcement identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20‑year‑old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

• He died at the scene after being shot by a Secret Service counter‑sniper; there was no arrest or later trial because he did not survive the incident.

• Later reporting described him as a quiet engineering student who had been stockpiling materials and planning in the months leading up to the attack, as his mental health appeared to deteriorate.

Some long‑form journalism and forum discussions have portrayed Crooks as an academically successful but socially isolated student whose private online activity and interest in weapons and explosives escalated over several years. These portrayals stress how much he kept hidden from people around him, which has fueled both empathy for his apparent unraveling and anger over the destruction he caused.

Investigations and Official Conclusions

Federal investigation

The FBI led an extensive investigation into Crooks, his background, and any potential helpers or foreign links. According to officials, they interviewed thousands of people, processed hundreds of tips, and analyzed multiple electronic devices tied to Crooks and his family.

Key official points reported:

1. Acted alone
   • The FBI publicly stated that Crooks acted alone in planning and carrying out the shooting.

 * Investigators said they found no credible evidence of a second shooter or a larger operational cell directing him.

2. No proven foreign or organized conspiracy
   • Officials said there was no evidence of a foreign‑directed plot behind his actions.

 * They also stated that online speculation tying him to certain extremist networks or individuals was not supported by the investigative record they disclosed.

3. Motive still unclear
   • The FBI closed the case in a “pending, inactive” posture, acknowledging that Crooks’ precise motive remained unknown to the public.

 * His online searches before the attack reportedly included topics such as past assassinations, logistical details about the Butler rally, and other violent incidents, suggesting premeditation but not offering a clear ideological or personal motive.

Why There’s So Much Online Debate

Even after the official “acted alone” conclusion, the case remains a trending topic in news, commentary shows, and forums, especially around anniversaries of the attack or when new documents, videos, or investigative pieces surface.

Common threads in forum and opinion‑page discussions include:

• Security failures
  • People question how a 20‑year‑old was able to reach a rooftop so close to a presidential stage with a rifle and time to fire multiple shots.
  • Debates focus on Secret Service protocols, site security, line‑of‑sight checks, and staffing decisions.
• Erased or hidden online footprint
  • Commentators have argued that Crooks’ digital traces were more extensive than initially indicated and point to deleted posts and removed archives as suspicious.

* This has led to claims that authorities or platforms may have over‑scrubbed information, feeding conspiracy theories even where no solid evidence of a larger plot has surfaced.

• Motive speculation
  • Without a clear manifesto or final statement, speculation ranges from ideological radicalization to personal grievance to deteriorating mental health.

* Some public pieces highlight his academic success and quiet demeanor to ask how someone like that ends up planning an assassination attempt, while others stress that outward success can mask deep internal instability.

Because the government has not released a simple, definitive story about why he did it, opinion writers and forum users continue to fill the gap with competing narratives—some grounded in evidence, others more speculative.

Where Things Stand Now

• Crooks is dead; there will be no trial or direct testimony from him about his intentions.

• Trump survived with a wound to his ear and later returned to public events, while the attack has become a central reference point in discussions about political violence in the 2020s.

• The FBI’s official line is that Crooks acted alone and that all credible physical evidence and leads fit that conclusion, while the case remains technically reopenable if new credible information emerges.

• Public debate continues to focus on three unresolved areas: his exact motive, whether digital evidence has been fully and transparently handled, and what security reforms are needed to prevent a similar near‑miss in the future.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.