Donald Trump's shooter Thomas Crooks' death ruled homicide, post-mortem examination reveals

Thomas Crooks resided in Bethel Park in neighboring Allegheny County where the post-mortem examination was finished
Thomas Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents after he opened fire at Donald Trump's rally on July 13 (Bethel Park High School, Getty Images)
Thomas Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents after he opened fire at Donald Trump's rally on July 13 (Bethel Park High School, Getty Images)

Warning: This article contains some graphic information and content that may trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA: The official cause and manner of death for Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin of former president Trump Donald, has been made public. The Butler County Coroner's Office informed Fox News on Saturday, July 20, that Crooks died of a gunshot wound to the head. It was determined that he died by homicide. 

The 20-year-old was shot dead in Butler County after he fired five rounds at a Trump rally on July 13 and hit the former president in the ear. Crooks was then "neutralized" 26 seconds later. 

Thomas Matthew Crooks had graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 (YouTube/RepublicWorld)
Thomas Crooks lost his life from a gunshot wound to the head (YouTube/RepublicWorld)

A post-mortem examination was completed in neighboring Allegheny County

Crooks resided in Bethel Park in neighboring Allegheny County where a post-mortem examination was finished, according to the Butler County Coroner's Office. It is unclear what happened to Crooks' body after the examination.

Investigators are still figuring out the 20-year-old man's motivation, but as his former classmates come forward with their accounts, a picture of the man who tried to kill former president Donald Trump is starting to take shape.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter is dead after injuring former U.S. President Donald Trump, killing one audience member and injuring another in the shooting. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Investigators are still figuring out the 20-year-old man's motivation, but as his former classmates come forward with their accounts, a picture of the man who tried to kill former president Donald Trump is starting to take shape (Getty Images)

Thomas Crooks was described as 'a quiet loner' by his peers

A YouTube video of the Bethel Park High School graduation ceremony in 2022 shows a thin, bespectacled Thomas Matthew Crooks receiving his diploma to a lackluster reception. The Pennsylvania resident was described as "a quiet loner" by former peers who have spoken out since he was shot and killed by Secret Service agents on July 13. 

Julianna Grooms, who graduated one year after Crooks, told The Wall Street Journal, "People would say he was the student who would shoot up the school," that he was bullied and that he was an "easy target."

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 13: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter is dead after injuring former U.S. President Donald Trump, killing one audience member and injuring another in the shooting. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Pennsylvania resident was described as a quiet loner by former peers who have spoken out since he was shot and killed by Secret Service agents on July 13 (Getty Images)

One of Crooks' classmates said he was 'very chill, very humble'

However, a classmate who went to school with Crooks and whose sister was close to the gunman claimed to Fox News that he had been unfairly accused of being a liar by peers who were "making up" the "most random information."

"He didn’t talk a lot, but when he was talked to, he would make good conversation," the former Bethel Park High School student, who graduated a year behind Crooks, said on Friday night, July 19. "He was easy to talk to. He would make good conversation. He was very chill, very humble.," the student continued.

"He had friends. He had friends on the bus, in class," the classmate said. "Not a lot of people knew him, but the ones that did never had a negative experience with him," he said, adding "You definitely have to be crazy to do what he did, but I was so surprised when I found out it was him."



 

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Marjorie Taylor Greene pointed out that the US gives Israel 'billions of our own hard-earned tax dollars, weapons, and military assistance'
1 hour ago
James Talarico, who won the Democratic primary in March, is set to face Ken Paxton in November in the race to replace retiring GOP Sen John Cornyn
5 hours ago
President Trump said Cuba and Venezuela were closer to the US than Iran, making them distinct foreign policy challenges
6 hours ago
Despite Tehran's announcement, American military officials quickly disputed claims that the Strait of Hormuz had actually been shut down
7 hours ago
The South Carolina rep drew widespread online ridicule after conflating basic laboratory genomics with culture-war debates over gender politics
7 hours ago
Lara Trump criticized the $850 million Obama Presidential Center campus as publicly funded and over budget, prompting swift fact-checks from critics
9 hours ago
Iran said it would close Hormuz, citing US noncompliance with the war-ending memorandum and continued ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon
9 hours ago
Any ICE name change will face a major hurdle because only Congress can approve legislation authorizing it
10 hours ago
Former President Barack Obama argued the costly war left the US worse off, returning it to instability despite heavy military and financial costs
11 hours ago
The Kennedy Center's Executive Director Matt Floca said management would present three options: full closure, partial closure, or phased renovations
11 hours ago