Authorities investigate motives of man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump – Metro Puerto Rico

The 20-year-old man apparently attempted to assassinate the former president Donald Trump He first came to the attention of security forces at a rally on Saturday when spectators saw him behaving strangely at the event. The news triggered a frantic search, but police were unable to find him until he managed to reach the rooftop and began shooting.

Investigators are searching for clues as to what may have led to the shooting following a shooting that left a bystander dead. Thomas Matthew Crookesof Bethel Park, PennsylvaniaThe FBI said it was investigating it as a possible act of terrorism, but the man killed by the Secret Service lacked a clear ideological motive, leading to conspiracy theories to flourish.

“I urge everyone, everyone, please do not make assumptions about their motives or affiliations.”President Joe Biden said in remarks at the White House on Sunday. “Let the FBI do its job and let its partner agencies do their jobs. I have directed that this investigation be thorough and expeditious.”.

The FBI believes Crooks carried out the attack himself, having bomb-making materials in his car when he arrived at the rally. Investigators found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to attack Trump before the Secret Service removed the Republican presidential candidate from the stage with blood on his face.

Trump said on social media that a bullet pierced the top of his right ear, but his advisers said he was in “very good spirits” before arriving in Milwaukee on Sunday for the Republican National Convention. Two bystanders were seriously injured and former area fire chief Corey Comperatore died. Pennsylvania’s governor said Comperatore, 50, died a hero as he rushed to protect his family.

Crooks’ relatives did not respond to numerous messages Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN Saturday night that he was trying to figure out “What exactly is going on”but did not comment on his son until after he spoke to police. An FBI official told reporters that Crooks’ family was cooperating with investigators.

Several attendees at the event told local police that Crooks was acting suspiciously and lingering near metal detectors, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation. Officers were then told Crooks was climbing a ladder, the official said. Police searched for him but were unable to find him before he reached the rooftop.

A local officer walked up to the roof and encountered Crooks, who turned on him before the officer could hide, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. Michael Throop. He added that the officer could not draw his gun in the situation. Slope said he backed up the stairs and Crooks quickly fired in Trump’s direction. That’s when a Secret Service sniper shot him down, said two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to testify about the ongoing investigation.

Agents FBI They said Sunday they were investigating Crooks’ past and his social media activity while working to gain access to his phone.Messaging app Discord, a platform popular among people who play online games, said Crooks appeared to have an account but that he rarely used it and had not used it in recent months.There was no indication he used his account to encourage violence or comment on his political stances, according to a Discord spokesperson.

Crooks’ political leanings are unclear. Documents show he is a registered Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he donated $15 to the Progressive Political Action Committee on January 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School Class of 2022In a video of the graduation ceremony posted online, he can be seen walking up to the stage to receive his diploma. The young man is thin and wears glasses. The school district said it would fully cooperate with investigators.

In his last year of high school, fraud He was one of several students awarded for their performance in math and science, according to a report published in the Tribune-Review newspaper at the time.

Crooks tried to join the school’s shooting team. But he was rejected due to poor aimexplain Frederick MachThe current captain was a few years behind Crooks in school.

Jason KohlerKohler, who attended the same high school but did not share any classes with Crooks, said Crooks was bullied and no one would sit next to him at lunch. Kohler said other students made fun of him because of the type of clothing he wore, including safari clothing.

“I was harassed almost every day,” Khloe told reporters. “I was an outcast, and you know what kids are like these days.”

Crooks works in a nursing home as Nutrition Assistanta job that usually involves preparing food. Marcy GreenAsylum Administrator Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitationsaid in a statement that she was “shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement.” Green added that a background check conducted on Crooks when he was hired did not reveal anything impropriety.

Authorities set up a blockade Sunday, stopping traffic near Crooks’ home, in an enclave of modest brick homes in the hills outside Brooks. PittsburghIt’s about an hour’s drive from where the Trump campaign event was held. Police cars were parked at an intersection near the house and officers were seen walking nearby.

Butler County District Attorney, Richard GoldingerCounty authorities had no prior knowledge of Crooks and were not monitoring him, he told The Associated Press on Sunday. He added that the investigation so far has not produced any evidence that he coordinated with anyone else in the area.

Crooks used an AR-type assault rifle that authorities believe was purchased by his father. Old TimesThe FBI agent in charge of the Pittsburgh area said investigators still don’t know whether he took the gun without his father’s permission.

A video posted on social media by the Associated Press showed Crooks, wearing gray camouflage and with a black American flag slung over his right arm, lying motionless on the roof of a factory not far north of the Butler Farm Show, where Trump gave his speech.

The rooftop where the attacker was allegedly located was less than 150 meters (164 yards) from where Trump was standing, a distance at which a sniper with acceptable aim could reasonably hit a human-sized target. For reference, 150 meters is the distance that U.S. Army recruits must hit a life-size silhouette to pass with an M-16 rifle.

Images of Crooks’ body reviewed by The Associated Press showed he was apparently wearing a T-shirt. Demolition Ranchis a popular YouTube channel that regularly posts videos in which its creator appears to fire a pistol and an assault rifle at various targets, including a humanoid mannequin.

Matt Carriker, founder of Demolition Ranch in Texas, did not immediately respond to a phone message or email but posted a photo of Crooks’ bloody body on social media, wearing a team-branded T-shirt. The image was accompanied by the message: “What the hell?”