Trump's shooter's silent, chilling past

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally in July 2024, emerges from newly released FBI interview records as a withdrawn and enigmatic young man. Initially silent and difficult to connect with, Crooks developed a profound obsession with firearms in his teenage years, a fixation that deepened through his high school and early adult years.

Despite academic success, Crooks struggled to form close relationships, rarely showed emotion, and even built his own 3D printer and security camera systems. His online activities were cloaked in anonymity, with the alias "Bob Dole" used to obscure his identity during firearm purchases. While Crooks identified as a registered Republican, he harbored no deep allegiance to the party, expressing disdain for politicians and displaying no explicit political motivations for his actions.

The FBI report highlights the complexity of Crooks' life, revealing a pattern of silence, isolation, and a singular focus on firearms that ultimately culminated in his failed assassination attempt on Trump.