Trump shooter's father seen in public for first time since assassination attempt

By 
 July 24, 2024

The father of the man who tried to kill Donald Trump was seen in public for the first time since the assassination attempt.

Matthew Brian Crooks, 53, pleaded for privacy when he was approached leaving a grocery store by Fox News.

20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks lived in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about an hour's drive south of Butler. He was killed at the scene.

Trump shooter's father seen

The family is cooperating with investigators as they look into the shooting, which almost killed Trump, killed one rallygoer and left two others injured.

“We just want to try to take care of ourselves right now. Please, just give us our space,” Crooks' father said.

“We’re going to release a statement when our legal counsel advises us to do so – until then, we have no comment.”

Crooks positioned himself on a rooftop that the Secret Service left unguarded, allowing him to take a clear shot at Trump from 130 yards.

The bullet came within inches of killing Trump, who was grazed in the ear.

FBI shares details

FBI director Christopher Wray told Congress Wednesday that pictures of public figures were stored automatically in Crooks' phone from internet searches. Wray said the pictures don't give any clues about a motive.

“This does not appear to be some sort of target list," he said. “There doesn't seem to be a lot of rhyme or reason to it so far, other than that these are all prominent public people."

Wray also shared that Crooks started plotting the attack at least a week in advance. This included Googling how far away Lee Harvey Oswald was when he shot JFK.

“That’s obviously significant in terms of his state of mind,” Wray added. “That is the same day that he registered for the Butler rally.”

Investigators have found explosives in Crooks' car and at home, as well as a drone that Crooks used to scope out the rally.

Wray said that the Crooks bought the gun from his father, who originally bought the firearm legally.

“The weapon that he used for the attempted assassination was an AR-style rifle that was purchased legally, that he – as my understanding – acquired, I think bought actually from his father, who was the one who originally bought it,” Wray said.

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