(TargetDailyNews.com) – FBI officials announced the discovery of an explosive device in 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks’ car on Sunday, July 14, just one day after Crooks was shot and killed after he opened fire on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. FBI officials stated that the device was “rudimentary” in nature without giving specifics.
Shots rang out during Trump’s speech, and one bullet clipped his ear. One attendee was killed as a result of the shots; another two were seriously injured.
Early reports from the FBI suggest that Crooks operated alone and that the weapon he used in the shooting was purchased by the boy’s father legally. It’s unclear at this time whether Crooks had permission to use the rifle or took it without his father’s awareness.
Pittsburgh’s top FBI agent, Kevin Rojek, told the corporate press that members of the Crooks family are aiding the investigation. So far, there’s been no discovery of a motive for the shooting; Crooks left behind no social media footprint or writings. There’s additionally no information about his mental health, and he had never been charged with any criminal activity prior to the incident.
Crooks was a registered Republican who made a small $15 donation to a Joe Biden-supporting PAC in 2021. Otherwise, very little is known about the kid with long hair and glasses who worked at a nursing home and was well-regarded by his peers.
He earned a degree in engineering from a local community college and was interested in computer programming and video games. Authorities suggest he has virtually no digital footprint online that could lend suggestions as to how or why he decided to engage in violence.
Attorney General Merrick Garland called the incident an attack on “our democracy itself,” which is also how he has previously described the events of January 6, 2021. FBI Director Christopher Wray promised to turn over every proverbial stone in their quest to get to the bottom of the incident.
Whether or not Crooks had help and how he was radicalized will remain a mystery for now.
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