The life of the assassin - He played chess, worked in a nursing home - and shot Trump

WELT The life of the assassin - He played chess, worked in a nursing home - and shot Trump 3 hours • 3 minutes reading time The shots fired during a campaign event by former US President Donald Trump in the state of Pennsylvania have shocked people beyond the borders of the USA. Trump survived the attack on Saturday in the small town of Butler by a whisker, suffering a minor ear injury. One spectator - a 50-year-old fireman and father - died, and two other men in the audience were seriously injured. The FBI is investigating attempted murder and possible domestic terrorism. The suspected shooter, who fired several shots from the roof of a nearby building, was shot dead by Secret Service officers. The FBI identified him as Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania. He was 20 years old. A school photo of Crooks shows him as a young man with dark blond hair parted to the side, glasses and braces. Crooks' former classmates describe him as a "quiet" student who often seemed "lonely," ABC News reported. Crooks graduated from high school in 2022 and was one of 20 students to receive a $500 science award. One classmate said Crooks seemed "socially reserved" to him. Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school as the suspected shooter, told reporters that Crooks was often bullied. "He was quiet, but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much." Crooks, who occasionally wore hunting clothes, was mocked for his style of dress. The New York Times quoted a former classmate, Zach Bradford, who said he had taken American history and politics classes with the shooter. According to the report, Crooks made an "incredibly intelligent" impression, and his political views were "more right-wing" at the time. Middle-class residential area After high school, the NYT reports, citing the community college, Crooks earned a degree in engineering. In addition to college, he worked in the food distribution department of a nursing home, where he also did not attract any negative attention. According to the FBI, the young man had little presence on social media. Dan Grzybek, a district councilor from the area where Crooks grew up, described his residential area to the "NYT" as "pretty much entirely middle class, maybe upper middle class." Investigators search the house where Thomas Matthew Crooks lived How did Crooks proceed? According to the FBI, Crooks fired from a roof with a semi-automatic rifle of the AR type, which is very common in the USA and which was purchased legally. Investigators assume that the weapon belongs to Crooks' father. However, it was unclear how his son got hold of the rifle. It now seems clear where Crooks practiced shooting. On Sunday, a sports club south of Pittsburgh, which also has a shooting range, confirmed Crooks' membership. After the attempted assassination of Trump, investigators found two suspicious objects in the car in which Crooks had driven about an hour from his hometown to the campaign event. Bomb experts are to continue examining the suspected explosive material. According to the "NYT", a third possible explosive device was found in his apartment. Speculation about motive According to the FBI, there was initially no evidence of mental illness. According to Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder, the young man also had no connections to the army. The FBI assumes that Crooks acted alone. Investigators have not yet identified any "ideology" behind the act, and no manifesto has been found. Crooks was previously unknown to the FBI, and his online history is similar to that of many 20-year-old men. He liked playing chess, video games and had practiced coding. According to media reports, Crooks was registered to vote for Trump's Republicans - it would have been his first choice. However, Crooks also donated $15 to a progressive political action group that has ties to the Democratic Party. According to the NYT, his parents are registered as Democrats and Libertarian voters and work as certified counselors; according to his LinkedIn profile, his father works for a local psychological counseling service. Apparently he too cannot explain what drove his son to shoot Trump. He is trying to figure out "what the hell is going on" before he can speak publicly about his son, Matthew Crooks told CNN.