Thomas Matthew Crooks was a 20‑year‑old American man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. He fired multiple shots from an AR‑15–style rifle at Trump from a nearby rooftop, grazing Trump’s right ear , killing one attendee, and critically injuring two others before being shot and killed by a Secret Service counter‑sniper.

Basic background

  • Full name: Thomas Matthew Crooks (born September 20, 2003 , died July 13, 2024).
  • Hometown: Bethel Park , a Pittsburgh‑area suburb roughly 40–70 km from Butler.
  • Education:
    • Graduated Bethel Park High School in 2022 with high honors.
* Earned an **associate degree in engineering science** from the **Community College of Allegheny County** two months before the shooting.

* Scored **1530 on the SAT** and aced several Advanced Placement exams.

Life before the attack

  • Work: He was employed as a dietary aide in a nursing home near his home and had passed a background check; coworkers reported he performed his job without concern.
  • Politics:
    • Registered as a Republican in 2021 and voted only once, in the 2022 midterms.
* In school essays, he criticized **divisive campaigns** and U.S. politics more broadly, calling them “pulling the country apart.”
  • Personality: Former classmates and neighbors described him as quiet, aloof, and somewhat of a misfit , though not obviously violent.

The Trump rally shooting

  • On July 13, 2024 , Crooks fired eight shots at Trump from a rooftop while Trump was speaking.
  • Effects:
    • Trump suffered a grazing wound to his upper right ear but was otherwise unharmed.
* Attendee **Corey Comperatore** , 50, was killed; two others were critically injured.
  • Response: Crooks was killed within seconds by a Secret Service Counter Assault Team sniper.

Online activity and planning

  • Searches and interests:
    • Looked up Trump’s public appearances , Joe Biden , Attorney General Merrick Garland , FBI Director Christopher Wray , and Catherine, Princess of Wales.
* Searched for information on **major depressive disorder** , the **Oxford High School shooting** , and the **attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico**.

* On **July 6, 2024** , he searched **“how far was Oswald from Kennedy”** , referencing JFK’s assassin.
  • Weapons and explosives:
    • Was a member of a local shooting club and practiced at a range days before the rally.
* **Bomb‑making materials** were found in his car and at his home, plus a **remote detonator** on his body.

Motive and investigation

  • The FBI concluded its investigation in November 2025 , stating that Crooks’s motive remains unknown.
  • Some analysts and commentators have speculated that he may have been seeking notoriety rather than acting on a clear ideological agenda, but no definitive motive has been publicly confirmed.

Quick reference table

Aspect| Details
---|---
Name| Thomas Matthew Crooks 3
Age at death| 20 years old 35
Hometown| Bethel Park, Pennsylvania 39
Education| High honors high‑school grad; associate degree in engineering science 3
Political registration| Republican (voted once in 2022) 3
Role in Trump event| Attempted assassin at July 13, 2024 rally 310
Outcome of attack| Trump wounded in ear; one attendee killed, two critically injured; Crooks killed by Secret Service 35
Known motive| Officially unknown (FBI closed case Nov. 2025) 36

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