Video footage adding context to the life of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who shot former President Donald Trump, has emerged since the failed assassination attempt Saturday. Crooks shot at former President Donald J. Trump from the roof of a building during the Republican Convention in Butler, PA, Saturday evening. Trump walked away with a clipped ear, but one person died in the crossfire, and two were seriously injured. Authorities killed Crooks immediately after he opened fire. It was later revealed Crooks used one of his father’s rifles to shoot the former president after borrowing it without permission. One video circulating on social media, first released by TMZ, shows Crooks as a 10th grader playing what appears to be some variation of the game, Two Truths and a Lie. In a string of three statements, Crooks claimed, “I am 6-ft, 4-ins. I go to Stanford University, I have a 10-inch penis.” He was not 6-ft, 4-ins. and he did not go to Stanford. The third claim is unverified. The purpose of the game — if that is indeed what Crooks was participating in — is for others to guess which of the three statements is a lie. The video was allegedly made in a computer class with classmates in February 2020. .Crooks, who most recently worked as a nursing home aid, attended Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania and went on to the Steel Center for Career and Technical Education in Jefferson Hills, PA.Crooks’ former classmate Jason Kohler, 21, told CNN Crooks was bullied and presented himself to be indifferent to others at school, saying he had “no facial expression” when he walked through the halls. “He wasn’t, like, with the clique, so he always had, I guess, a target on his back,” said Kohler. Sarah D’Angelo, another former classmate, told the publication Crooks was “a quiet kid, not obviously political or violent in any way.”According to the New York Times, Crooks’ high school guidance counselor Jim Knapp said the gunman was a loner, who would sit alone at lunch and just be on his phone rather than socialize. ”He just wanted to stay by himself,” said Knapp.“He was a very good student … Not once did he ever get in trouble.”Contrary to reports from CNN, Knapp said Crooks “wasn’t being bullied” in school. Crooks' classmates described him in a similar manner. “He didn’t want attention, good or negative,” said Julianna Grooms, 19, who met Crooks freshman year. She said she does not remember him being among her classmates any earlier than that. “Those other kids would always say, ‘Hey, look at the school shooter over there!’ They would tease him about his poor hygiene, his body odor. He was an easy target,” said Grooms. .On Monday, Secret Service agents confirmed they had accessed Crooks’ phone, while the FBI searched his home and vehicle. Authorities also interviewed about 100 witnesses, including spectators and police officers, and reviewed hundreds of photos and videos sent in as tips. “That work continues. The investigation is still in the early stages,” said the FBI in a statement per the Times. Crooks registered at the age of 18 as a Republican — but he only ever made one donation to any political organization, and that was $15 to a progressive cause in January 2021.Some netizens have speculated there is more to the story, pointing to a 2023 advertizement by US financial giant BlackRock, filmed at Bethel Park High School — the same school Crooks attended, as confirmed by school administrators to the Times. Crooks himself appears to have been featured in the ad.
Video footage adding context to the life of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who shot former President Donald Trump, has emerged since the failed assassination attempt Saturday. Crooks shot at former President Donald J. Trump from the roof of a building during the Republican Convention in Butler, PA, Saturday evening. Trump walked away with a clipped ear, but one person died in the crossfire, and two were seriously injured. Authorities killed Crooks immediately after he opened fire. It was later revealed Crooks used one of his father’s rifles to shoot the former president after borrowing it without permission. One video circulating on social media, first released by TMZ, shows Crooks as a 10th grader playing what appears to be some variation of the game, Two Truths and a Lie. In a string of three statements, Crooks claimed, “I am 6-ft, 4-ins. I go to Stanford University, I have a 10-inch penis.” He was not 6-ft, 4-ins. and he did not go to Stanford. The third claim is unverified. The purpose of the game — if that is indeed what Crooks was participating in — is for others to guess which of the three statements is a lie. The video was allegedly made in a computer class with classmates in February 2020. .Crooks, who most recently worked as a nursing home aid, attended Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania and went on to the Steel Center for Career and Technical Education in Jefferson Hills, PA.Crooks’ former classmate Jason Kohler, 21, told CNN Crooks was bullied and presented himself to be indifferent to others at school, saying he had “no facial expression” when he walked through the halls. “He wasn’t, like, with the clique, so he always had, I guess, a target on his back,” said Kohler. Sarah D’Angelo, another former classmate, told the publication Crooks was “a quiet kid, not obviously political or violent in any way.”According to the New York Times, Crooks’ high school guidance counselor Jim Knapp said the gunman was a loner, who would sit alone at lunch and just be on his phone rather than socialize. ”He just wanted to stay by himself,” said Knapp.“He was a very good student … Not once did he ever get in trouble.”Contrary to reports from CNN, Knapp said Crooks “wasn’t being bullied” in school. Crooks' classmates described him in a similar manner. “He didn’t want attention, good or negative,” said Julianna Grooms, 19, who met Crooks freshman year. She said she does not remember him being among her classmates any earlier than that. “Those other kids would always say, ‘Hey, look at the school shooter over there!’ They would tease him about his poor hygiene, his body odor. He was an easy target,” said Grooms. .On Monday, Secret Service agents confirmed they had accessed Crooks’ phone, while the FBI searched his home and vehicle. Authorities also interviewed about 100 witnesses, including spectators and police officers, and reviewed hundreds of photos and videos sent in as tips. “That work continues. The investigation is still in the early stages,” said the FBI in a statement per the Times. Crooks registered at the age of 18 as a Republican — but he only ever made one donation to any political organization, and that was $15 to a progressive cause in January 2021.Some netizens have speculated there is more to the story, pointing to a 2023 advertizement by US financial giant BlackRock, filmed at Bethel Park High School — the same school Crooks attended, as confirmed by school administrators to the Times. Crooks himself appears to have been featured in the ad.
