Trump's would-be assassin Thomas Crooks was rejected from high school rifle team for 'comically bad' shooting skills

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA: Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, attempted to assassinate former president Donald Trump during a rally on Saturday, July 13.

Crooks' actions resulted in the death of a Trump supporter and injuries to two others, while the former president was only grazed. The Secret Service quickly intervened and shot Crooks dead.

Thomas Crooks' high school experience and rifle team rejection

Several years before this incident, gunman Thomas Crooks tried out for the rifle team at Bethel Park High School. According to two former classmates, Crooks was notably poor at shooting. Jameson Murphy, one of these classmates, told ABC News that Crooks was a "terrible" shot and often made "off-color" jokes, which contributed to his rejection from the team.

The Bethel Park rifle team uses Anschutz single-shot rifles with peep sights and .22-caliber ammunition. The school’s shooting range is 50 feet long and 21 feet wide, with seven lanes.

Murphy vividly remembered an instance where Crooks fired from the seventh lane, the closest to the right wall, but his bullet hit the left wall, missing the target by nearly 20 feet.

Murphy remarked, “He tried out…and was such a comically bad shot he was unable to make the team and left after the first day.”

Another former classmate described Crooks as a "loner" who often wore hunting outfits to class and confirmed that he “couldn’t shoot at all.”

The rifle team’s coach, who had experience training Navy marksmen, also had reservations about Crooks. “Our old coach was a stickler, he trained Navy marksmen, so he knew people. He knew when someone’s not the greatest person,” the ex-classmate explained.

Concerns about Crooks were not limited to his shooting skills. The classmates observed Crooks making inappropriate comments, particularly alarming given the presence of firearms in the school setting.

“We noticed a few things Thomas said and how he interacted with other people… He said some things that were kind of concerning,” the classmate said. “You know, obviously, we’re using guns in a school setting so you need to be very careful in that regard.”

"He made some crass jokes that weren’t appropriate when there are firearms in the school setting," the classmate said, without detailing the specific nature of these comments. 

Who was Thomas Crooks?

During the attack on Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show grounds, Thomas Crooks used a semiautomatic rifle, as confirmed by three senior US law enforcement officials. Investigations are underway to determine whether the rifle belonged to Crooks' father and if it was legally purchased.

According to preliminary findings, Crooks fired eight shots before being neutralized by the Secret Service. Suspicious canisters or containers were found in Crooks’ vehicle, but their functionality as incendiary or explosive devices remains uncertain.

Crooks’ family is cooperating with investigators, but his motive for the assassination attempt is still unclear. A senior law enforcement official briefed on the matter stated that the Defense Department confirmed Crooks had no affiliation with the US military.

He was also a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in Pittsburgh, a facility equipped with various shooting ranges, including a 200-yard rifle range and both indoor and outdoor archery ranges.

Bill Sellitto, president of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, expressed his dismay, "We're sick over this. It's just a terrible thing."

The club released a statement condemning the violence and offering condolences to the Comperatore family and those injured, including Trump.

Crooks worked as a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where his background check had been clean.

Marcie Grimm, an administrator at the center, expressed shock and sadness over Crooks' involvement in the incident.

She stated, “We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement,” adding that the center is fully cooperating with law enforcement but could not provide further comments, NBC News reported.