Trump rally gunman acted alone, FBI says — but questions about motive persist

Thomas Crooks opened occurrence astatine a Trump rally past year, firing 8 shots, sidesplitting a man, critically wounding 2 others and grazing the president’s ear, according to authorities.

Crooks, 20, killed a 50-year-old begetter of 2 named Corey Comperatore and sent David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, to the infirmary with gunshot wounds, according to authorities. President Donald Trump, who was vying to instrumentality to bureau astatine the time, ducked for screen and had humor disposable connected the broadside of his look erstwhile helium got backmost up.

While a caller New York Post op-ed called for the authorities to merchandise much accusation connected the case, it besides argued that the deficiency of transparency has allowed conspiracy theories to swirl.

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Then-Republican statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump is whisked distant by Secret Service aft shots rang retired astatine a run rally astatine Butler Farm Show Inc. connected July 13, 2024, successful Butler, Pennsylvania.  (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Then-Republican statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump pumps his fist arsenic helium is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents aft being grazed by a slug during a rally connected July 13, 2024, successful Butler, Pennsylvania.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

"The information Crooks posed was disposable for years successful nationalist online spaces," an unnamed root said to person uncovered much than a twelve of Crooks' accounts told the paper. "His radicalization, convulsive rhetoric and obsession with governmental unit were each documented nether his existent name. The menace wasn’t hidden."

Authorities told Congress they recovered nary grounds that Crooks followed immoderate peculiar ideology connected his laptop, but according to the Post's source, determination was a wide timeline of Crooks' changing ideology and convulsive rhetoric that remains to beryllium addressed.

"The investigation, conducted by implicit 480 FBI employees, revealed Crooks had constricted online and successful idiosyncratic interactions, planned and conducted the onslaught alone, and did not leak oregon stock his intent to prosecute successful the onslaught with anyone," FBI Director Kash Patel wrote connected X Friday.

They conducted much than 1,000 interviews, helium said, examined much than 2,000 tips from the public, seized 13 devices and reviewed fractional a cardinal integer files. They uncovered 25 of Crooks' accounts connected societal media platforms oregon online forums.

FLASHBACK: CHARLIE KIRK WARNED OF LEFT-WING 'ASSASSINATION CULTURE' MONTHS BEFORE HIS MURDER

Thomas Matthew Crooks pictured soon earlier the assassination effort connected erstwhile President Donald Trump successful Butler, Pennsylvania connected Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

Investigators judge Crooks planned the shooting alone, had nary accomplices and did not talk astir it with anyone. And dissimilar the 22-year-old Tyler Robinson charged with assassinating Charlie Kirk successful September, Crooks died astatine the country and ne'er got backmost connected Discord.

While the FBI has not publically identified a governmental motive, Crooks’ online comments implicit respective years shifted from pro-Trump to anti-Trump, according to integer records described successful the Post. Whatever caused that remains unclear, but earlier helium focused his murderous intent connected the president, his posts astir rage and unit were reportedly directed astatine Democrats.

"Trump bombed Iran to support them from getting a atomic weapon," said Bill Gage, a erstwhile U.S. Secret Service cause and a advisor with SafeHaven Security Group. "What bash you deliberation helium would bash if helium recovered retired determination was accusation that idiosyncratic [or some] radical was progressive successful his attempted assassination?"

CHARLIE KIRK'S ASSASSINATION LATEST CASE OF CONSERVATIVES BEING TARGETED FOR MURDER

Thomas Matthew Crooks, seen successful this yearbook photo, graduated from Bethel Park High School with the Class of 2022. Two years later, helium was changeable and killed aft opening occurrence astatine a Trump rally successful Butler, Pennsylvania. (Bethel Park School District)

He said that online speculation suggesting Crooks had worked with anyone other doesn't marque capable consciousness to see seriously.

"One large occupation with conspiracies is that you person to imagination up different conspiracies to explicate distant gaps successful your archetypal conspiracy," helium told Fox News Digital. "To deliberation that a overseas quality agency, panic radical oregon anyone other was progressive successful this and past deliberation that a concealed cabal of shadiness authorities officials is keeping it quiescent defies logic."

Authorities person said Crooks had nary transgression past and nary documented intelligence illnesses. The execution limb was purchased legally by his begetter successful 2013.

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A ample assemblage waits for the accomplishment of then-Republican statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump astatine a rally successful Butler, PA, connected Saturday, October 5, 2024. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

However, during a legislature briefing successful July 2024, senators were told that Crooks wrote a threatening connection connected "Steam," an online gaming level up of his shooting, Fox News reported previously.

"July 13 volition beryllium my premiere, ticker arsenic it unfolds," helium wrote, according to sources who attended the briefing.

When investigators reviewed his laptop, they recovered a fewer searches successful July of: Trump, Biden, erstwhile is DNC convention, and July 13 Trump rally. They besides recovered Crooks had 2 cellphones — 1 recovered from the scene, and different with conscionable 27 stored contacts that they recovered astatine his home.

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"The net is excessively large of a place," Gage said. "Crooks was a mentally sick loner that slipped done the cracks. We volition astir apt ne'er cognize his existent motivations."

Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.