Donald Trump shooter Thomas Crooks' death ruled homicide, post-mortem examination reveals
![Donald Trump's shooter Thomas Crooks' death ruled homicide, post-mortem examination reveals](https://dxltb3n5j8l6j.cloudfront.net/706283/uploads/c887dd20-46ca-11ef-9608-c3d7a1de0368_1200_630.jpeg)
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)](https://pisco-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/a5aaba92-a213-44f9-91f4-00f5015742ab.png)
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)](https://pisco-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/c5adeb96-7b0b-4bb5-bcfe-5e6ad6a54010.jpg)
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)](https://pisco-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/9d5e2e81-6ad3-4313-952b-d6e617bf080d.jpg)
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."
NEW: Footage from Bethel Park High School's 2022 graduation ceremony shows a 'Thomas Crooks' getting his diploma.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 14, 2024
The New York Post is reporting that Thomas Matthew Crooks was the suspect who shot Trump.
Videos are being shared online of a man claiming to be Crooks however the… pic.twitter.com/J7alFfZJk4