Seen for the first time since his son tried to assassinate Trump, Matthew Crooks was photographed at the family home in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as federal investigators visited on Monday morning.
Clearly exhausted, his eyes showing the strain and trauma of the past few days, Crooks opened the door to several FBI personnel who entered the modest brick house shortly before ten o’clock.
It’s been just three days since the Crooks family’s world was turned upside down by the shocking events of Saturday afternoon, when their 20-year-old son Thomas Matthew opened fire on the former president as he addressed a rally of supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Speaking to CNN immediately after his son was identified, Matthew, 53, who works as a licensed behavioral therapist and specializes in rehabilitation, seemed completely lost as he struggled to make sense of what he had just been told.
When contacted by the network Saturday night, Crooks Sr. said he was still trying to figure out “what the hell is going on,” but said he would “wait until I talk to the police” before speaking about his son.
Clearly exhausted, his eyes showing the strain and trauma of the past few days, Crooks opened the door to several FBI personnel who entered the modest brick house shortly before ten o’clock.
Speaking to CNN immediately after his son’s identification, Crooks Sr. said he was still trying to figure out “what the hell is going on.”
It’s been just 48 hours since the Crooks family’s world fell apart with the shocking events of Saturday afternoon. Here’s their home
He and the rest of the shooter’s immediate family have not spoken publicly since. Crooks’ mother, Mary Elizabeth, 53, is also a behavioral therapist.
Crooks is believed to have used an AR-15 purchased by his father about six months earlier and both men are understood to have been members of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in Clairton, Pennsylvania.
Thomas Crooks, 20, opened fire on the former president as he addressed a rally of supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
When approached by DailyMail.com, club president Bill Sellitto, 77, was clearly emotional and deeply distressed by his establishment’s association with an act he described as “appalling”.
He said: “This is not us. We are a community. We will soon be holding a youth day, with over 100 children. Members of five different police forces train with us, we support them and they are part of our community.”
The club, of which Crooks is a registered member, is set in 180 acres of woodland, has more than 2,000 members and its facilities include indoor and outdoor archery ranges, 200-yard rifle ranges, pistol ranges and dog training areas.
FBI agents visited with the Crooks family for a few minutes before proceeding to canvass the neighborhood talking to residents.
Nearby neighbors were asked to leave their homes as explosives and other items were reportedly removed from both Crooks’ truck and his family home.
Crooks had parked his vehicle near the rally site in Butler on Saturday before climbing onto the roof of a nearby industrial manufacturing building.
A casual turn of Trump’s head, seen here moments after the incident, not the quick response of those snipers, is what made the difference between a grazing glimpse of the bullet Crooks fired and a fatal shot.
A fortuitous turn of Trump’s head, not the quick response of nearby snipers, was the difference between a grazing glimpse of the bullet Crooks fired and a fatal shot.
Corey Comperatore, 55, a father of two and volunteer fire chief, has been named as the audience member who died shielding his family from gunfire.
Two other spectators who were hit by the impact, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were in stable condition Sunday.
Crooks was killed by the USSS seconds after opening fire on the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
The alleged killer was a registered Republican and a 2022 high school graduate. Records show he donated on Inauguration Day 2020 to a progressive group backing President Joe Biden.
The Bethel Park School District, where Crooks was a student until two years ago, verified his high school graduation and is cooperating with investigators.
Disturbing anecdotes have since emerged from those who knew Crooks from his days at school.
Bethel Park police officers talk outside Crooks’ home Monday morning after the weekend shooting.
Members of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team work near the building where Crooks was shot and killed by police.
Crooks tried out for the school’s shooting team but was rejected because he was a poor shot, said Frederick Mach, a current team captain who was a few years behind Crooks in school.
Jonathan Myers, a crew member at the time Crooks auditioned, said there was something sinister about him back then.
Crooks was a nutritional assistant at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where she provided food and care to elderly and post-hospitalized patients.
His employer confirmed Sunday that he had no criminal record and “performed his job without concern” before attempting to kill Trump.
Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to attack Trump.
Leading Republicans and Democrats have demanded an urgent investigation into the shooting, suggesting that routine checks would have eliminated any threats.
In a damning statement Saturday night, FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said it was “astonishing” that Crooks managed to fire so many shots.
Crooks was a dietary assistant at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where she provided food and care to elderly and sick people who had been hospitalized.
Footage emerged on Sunday night showing supporters outside the security perimeter aiming at Crooks as he crawled like a bear across the roof of the building.
“Look, everyone’s pointing,” the man behind the camera is heard saying as the camera pans from the stage to the warehouse roof, where a figure is seen crawling.
“He’s on the roof!” a woman shouts 40 seconds into the video, as Trump can be heard continuing his remarks in the background.
Several witnesses said they warned law enforcement that a gunman was creeping toward the building, but they did not respond before he began shooting.
Following this, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said the agency is now implementing changes to Trump’s security team.
Cheatle, who was appointed by President Biden in 2022, expressed confidence in a new plan for this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
