Suspect in Trump assassination attempt had registered as Republican but motive unknown

(WASHINGTON) — A 20-year-old Pennsylvania man was suspected to have been the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, firing several shots and killing at least one spectator, federal and local law enforcement agencies said.

The FBI early on Sunday identified the suspect, who was killed at the scene, as Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park.

The FBI did not “currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said.

Crooks had been registered as a Republican voter, according to state records. He graduated from high school in Pennsylvania in 2022, district officials said. The branches of the U.S. military branch told ABC News they didn’t have any records matching the shooter.

The firearm recovered at the scene was legally purchased by the suspect’s father, an urgent trace conducted by ATF found, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Shots rang out a few moments after Trump stepped onto an outdoor stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said. The suspect was firing from the roof of a building outside the security perimeter, taking aim from hundreds of feet away from the stage, law enforcement said.

One of the bullets struck Trump in his right ear, the former president said. The U.S. Secret Service said Trump was “safe.”

A Secret Service counter-sniper opened fire and killed the suspect, the agency said. The scene was “chaotic” and “everything unfolded very quickly,” Bevins said.

Law enforcement officials took several hours to publicly identify Crooks as their suspect, saying at a press conference late Saturday that they believed they knew who carried out the shooting, but were refraining from naming the individual.

Officials had said during that press conference that they were using the suspect’s DNA to confirm his identity, because the suspect had not been carrying anything that would have identified him.

“It’s a matter of doing biometric confirmations,” Rojek said. “So, there was no identification on the individual, for example, so we’re looking at photographs right now and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation.”

It was too early in the investigation to say whether Crooks had been acting alone, Bivens said. Investigators were determining if anyone else had been involved, he said.

The FBI did not “currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” Rojek said.

He graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High, according to the Bethel Park School District. The district said it was limited in what it could disclose publicly, adding that it would “cooperate fully” with the investigation.

“The school district wishes to express its sincere wishes for a speedy and full recovery for Mr. Trump and for those in attendance at the Saturday event who may have been physically harmed or emotionally impacted by these tragic events,” the district said in part in a statement.

The district added, “We offer special condolences to the family of at least one attendee who was killed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.”

As the FBI issued a statement early Sunday naming Crooks, a bureau spokesperson said the investigation remains “active and ongoing.” The FBI urged anyone with photos, videos or information to come forward.

ABC News’ Jack Date, Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas, Isabella Murray, Mark Osborne, Charlotte Slovin, Sasha Pezenik, Matt Seyler and Luis Martines contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.