Officials claiming Trump's assassin intended 'mass shooting' get challenged for 'shifting narrative'

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

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA: Officials suggested Thomas Matthew Crooks may have been attempting a mass casualty event despite video evidence showing he was targeting Donald Trump.

Investigators, who remain puzzled by Crooks's motive in the attempt on Trump's life, now suggest his actions were not politically driven.

Thomas Matthew Crooks didn't carry out 'politically driven assassination', per investigators

Thomas Matthew Crooks, according to reports, may have been less motivated by politics and more focused on attacking the highest-profile target near him.

"Crooks seems similar to the dozens of other young men who’ve wreaked havoc across the US with high-powered assault-style rifles in recent years," CNN reported from interviews with law enforcement and a review of notes from a briefing to Congress.

"He had few close friends, he would often go shooting at a local firing range, and he didn’t seem to display strongly held views that would suggest a politically driven assassination," the report added.

Thomas Matthew Crooks searched for dates of the Democratic National Convention

Thomas Matthew Crooks had conducted online searches regarding President Joe Biden and possessed photos on his phone of other notable individuals from both political parties, according to the station.

The Wednesday briefing by FBI and US Secret Service officials indicated that the 20-year-old shooter looked up the location of Trump's rally and the forthcoming Democratic National Convention.

Furthermore, Crooks searched online for details about the arrest of a Michigan mass shooter and the prosecution of his parents following a 2021 high school shooting incident. He accessed websites on how to construct explosives.

Moments before he discharged a firearm in an attempt to assassinate Trump, Crooks captured a screenshot from a livestream of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

"One emerging theory by investigators, based in part on the timing and subjects of his online searches, is that the shooter was looking to carry out a mass shooting and that the Trump event’s proximity and timing offered the most ready opportunity," according to a US official briefed on the matter, reported CNN.

Thomas Matthew Crooks' mass shooting theory at Donald Trump's rally gets challenged

A 3D illustrated video posted online challenged Thomas Matthew Crooks' mass shooting theory at Donald Trump's rally.

The video posted on X (formerly Twitter) suggested Crooks's primary target was Trump, and all the shots were fired in his direction.

The video traces the path of the seven to eight bullets fired by the shooter, suggesting the spectators who were injured came directly in the line of fire and were not the target, as the aim was Trump.

The video also illustrates the bullet hitting the forklift machine, bursting one of its hydraulics, and this was evident in one of the video footage.

Internet reacts to Thomas Matthew Crooks' mass shooting theory at Donald Trump's rally

The claim that Donald Trump's shooting was an attempt at a mass shooting event riled netizens with all sorts of reactions. While the majority seemed unconvinced, those who agreed said it doesn't change anything.  

"A mass casualty event is politically expedient, as these people want to ban AR-15s, yet they ignore why their proposed 'mass casualty event' didn’t happen— guns. Never let a good crisis go to waste," wrote one user on X.

Another commented, "Whether it was intended as mass casualty or not it doesn’t change anything regarding how he got there and made all of the moves he did and was able to even take a shot."

"He just ended up targeting the most important man in the world. Nothing to see here…," wrote one more user.

"Secret Service trying to shift the narrative to make themselves appear as heroes rather than incompetent (or very competent) enablers of the assassination attempt," wrote another individual.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.