Trump narrowly escapes assassination attempt by amateur shooter
20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, armed with an AR-15 rifle, fired several shots from the roof of a building approximately 130-160 yards from the stage where Donald Trump was speaking. He killed one person, seriously injured two others, and hit the politician in the ear. Now, the 20-year-old's colleagues have revealed surprising information about him. It turns out that during his school years, he was considered a terrible shooter.
9:51 AM EDT, July 16, 2024
Last Saturday, Donald Trump addressed his supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania. At one point, the former US president grabbed his right ear, and blood appeared on his face. He left the podium, shielded by Secret Service agents.
As it turned out, Trump was targeted by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle. The young man fired several shots. As a result of the attack, one rally attendee was killed, and two others were seriously injured. The Secret Service killed the shooter himself.
Geolocation analysis by CNN indicates that Trump was approximately 130-160 yards away from the shooter. The former US president barely escaped with his life. After the tragic event, questions quickly arose about how the 20-year-old managed to outsmart the Secret Service and fire multiple shots.
Assassination attempt on Donald Trump: 20-year-old assassin couldn't shoot?
ABC News reveals surprising information about the 20-year-old shooter. The station reached out to Crooks's high school classmates. They remembered that during his school days, the attacker tried to join the school's shooting team at Bethel Park High School. Unsuccessfully. It turns out he was rejected because he was a terrible shooter.
He didn't just not make the team, he was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was, it was considered like, dangerous - Jonathan Myers, one of the group members, told reporters.
Another colleague mentioned that Crooks sometimes missed the target by six yards!
Thomas Matthew Crooks worked in the kitchen at a nursing home. The weapon he used during the rally was reportedly his father's.