Would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks had explosives in the car he drove to the Pennsylvania rally and used a firearm purchased by his father.
Authorities found the ‘explosive devices’ in the 20-year-old’s vehicle and home after Secret Service agents shot and killed him seconds after he opened fire on the former president. The Wall Street Journal reported.
Matthew Crooks, 53, legally purchased the AR-15 his son used to try to assassinate Trump on Saturday.
Thomas Crooks killed one rally attendee, now revealed to be Corey Comperatore, and seriously injured two others who are being treated at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh while trying to remove Trump.
A bullet hit the former president in his right ear, but his campaign says he is otherwise “doing well.”
Yearbook images have emerged of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who opened fire on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. A resident confirmed the identity to DailyMail.com
Crooks, who graduated from high school just two years ago, parked his vehicle near the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday before climbing to the roof of a nearby industrial manufacturing building and taking aim at Trump.
Authorities say that after police received multiple reports of suspicious packages near where the shooter parked his car, it prompted them to send in bomb technicians.
Investigators worked late into the night to ensure the scene was clear, which included searching Crooks’ home and speaking to his family.
The FBI search led to the discovery of more bombs at the family’s Bethel Park home. According to reports.
Members of the community where Crooks is believed to have lived with his parents were surrounded by police and Secret Service on Sunday morning.
Those who spoke to DailyMail.com said the family were quiet and reserved.
Crooks was killed by the USSS seconds after opening fire on the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee on Saturday.
As Trump clutched his right ear and crouched behind the podium, his security team created a wall of bodies around him as they took out the gunman.
With blood streaming down his face, Trump stood, pumped his fist in the air and repeatedly shouted “fight” as he was escorted off the stage by suited Secret Service members.
Authorities found explosive materials in Crooks’ vehicle and at the family home. On Sunday morning, police and the Secret Service surrounded members of the Bethel Park community, where Crooks is believed to have lived with his parents.
The alleged killer was a registered Republican and a 2022 high school graduate. Records show Crooks donated on Inauguration Day 2020 to a progressive group backing President Joe Biden.
The gunmen shot Trump with an AR-style rifle from a rooftop 130 yards from the rally stage in Butler shortly before 6:15 p.m. Saturday.
Images of Crooks wearing glasses, braces and an American flag T-shirt appeared in a yearbook portrait on Sunday morning.
The Bethel Park School District, where Crooks was a student until two years ago, verified his high school graduation and is cooperating with investigators.
