The seven biggest unanswered questions that remain over the would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks one year on.
This time last year, Trump attended a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania where Crooks opened fire on him from a rooftop.
One of the shots grazed the president’s ear while other shots killed firefighter Corey Comperatore and injured two people before the Secret Service could stop him.
Seconds after being shot, Trump raised a bloody fist and yelled “Fight! Fight! Fight!” in a now infamous moment that became symbolic of defiance.
Since August 2024, the FBI have issued no further information on the would-be assassin, with the investigation turning more the failures of the secret service, instead of the shooter himself.
Crooks didn’t write a manifesto, had no public explanation behind his actions or social media trail showing why he did what he did.
The FBI are still working on determining ” the sequence of events and the shooter’s movements prior to the shooting, collecting and reviewing evidence, conducting interviews, and following up on all leads.”
Police found conflicting evidence of Crooks’ political affiliations. He registered as a Republican aged 18 but donated $15 to a Democratic PAC.
The week before the shooting, he researched “How far was Oswald from Kennedy?”.
He had no record and was studying as an engineering student with a high SAT score.
His computer history showed he had interest in political violence, however.
He had searched for Donald Trump, Joe Biden and former FBI director, Christopher Wray.
The 20-year-old had also researched mass shootings including that of Oxford High School shooter, Ethan Crumbley.
FBI have shared that he was alone in his actions. However, many speculate that this is untrue.
Private investigator, Doug Hahmann, shared: “We don’t think he acted alone,”, “This took a lot of coordination… Crooks was handled by more than one individual.”
Police found bomb-making material in his car and home, suggesting the shooting wasn’t his only goal.
As for his mental state, both his parents are licensed professional counselors who called the police on the day of the shooting, concerned for their son’s wellbeing.
He had researched terms such as “major depressive disorder” and “depression crisis” beforehand.
His father shared that mental illness. runs in the family and that Crooks had shown some odd behaviour, such as talking to himself, waving his arms and dancing late into the night.
The FBI found he had two phones at the time of the shooting, both containing photos of the event and political searches – none of which has been shared publicly.
Crooks body was cremated just 10 days after the shooting – a point many were concerned over. Rep. Clay Higgins shared: “On J23, Crooks was gone,” he wrote in a report. He labeled this move an “obstruction to any following investigative effort”.