The FBI named Thomas Matthew Crooks as the person who shot at Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Neighbours were shocked at how the quiet, 20-year old man could be accused of the shooting. Without any form of ID, investigators used DNA and facial recognition technology to identify him.
Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School with a $500 prize for maths and science and worked in a local nursing home kitchen just a short drive away from his home.
State voter records show that he was a registered Republican.
He had been a member at a local shooting club which has multiple gun ranges, including a high-power rifle facility with targets up to 171 metres away.
It is believed Crooks’ father bought the weapon used.
Some former school colleagues described him as a loner, who was frequently bullied and sometimes wore “hunting outfits to school”.
Another classmate said he was “always getting good grades on tests” and was “very passionate about history”.
“But it was nothing out of the ordinary….he was always nice”, she said.
“He was there but I can’t think of anyone who knew him well,” one classmate said. “He’s just not a guy I really think about. But he seemed fine.”
Crooks failed to become a member of Bethel Park High School varsity’s rifle team. “He did not even make the junior varsity team after trying out. He never returned to try-outs for the remainder of high school.”
[Photo: school year book]