(07-17-2024, 12:50 PM)Blaine91555 Wrote: IMO the only thing anyone needs to know about Crooks is that he was a loner and he was heavily bullied in school. Now where have we heard that before? The rest is just pearl clutching.
The only person at fault here is Crooks.
Here's some more juice on him. He has an AAS degree
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3gw58wv4e9o
Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks?
Thomas Crooks had not been carrying ID, so investigators used DNA and facial recognition technology to identify him, the FBI said.
He was from Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, about 70km (43 miles) from the site of the attempted assassination, and graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School with a $500 (£385) prize for maths and science, according to a local newspaper.
Crooks worked in a local nursing home kitchen just a short drive away from his home, where staff members have said that he passed a background check and raised no concerns.
The Community College of Allegheny, or CCAC, has confirmed that Crooks attended the school between September 2021 and May 2024. He graduated with an associate degree in engineering science.
In a statement sent to the BBC, the college noted that he graduated "with high honours" and that a review of his records turned up no disciplinary, student conduct or security-related incidents.
The University of Pittsburgh also told the BBC that in February he was accepted as a transfer student there for the fall 2024 semester. The following month, he elected not to attend.
State voter records show that he was a registered Republican, according to US media.
He also donated $15 to liberal campaign group ActBlue in 2021, according to an election donation filing and news reports.
He had a membership at a local shooting club, the Clairton Sportsmen's Club, for at least a year, the club confirmed to the BBC.
The vast club is based south of Pittsburgh and is “one of the premier shooting facilities in the tri-state area” of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. It has more than 2,000 members.
It has multiple gun ranges, including a high-power rifle facility with targets up to 171 metres away.
The club's owner, Bill Sellitto, told the BBC that the shooting was a "terrible, terrible thing". Access to the club is tightly controlled, with only members allowed inside the sprawling facility.
“Obviously, the club fully admonishes the senseless act of violence,” attorney Robert S Bootay III, who represents the organisation, told the BBC.
Law enforcement officials believe the weapon used to shoot at Donald Trump, an AR-style rifle, was purchased by Crooks' father, according to investigators.
It is unclear how the weapon came into his son's hands, although there is no suggestion the father had any inkling of what was to take place.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, two officers told AP that Crooks' father bought the weapon at least six months ago.
Authorities say that Crooks purchased a box of ammunition containing 50 rounds on the day of the rally, reports CBS, the BBC's US news partner.
Police sources have also told CBS that he purchased a ladder at Home Depot before the shooting, although it is unclear if he brought it with him.
According to US media reports, Crooks was wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a YouTube channel known for its guns and demolition content. The channel has millions of subscribers featuring videos on different guns and explosive devices.
The day after the shooting, law enforcement sources also told CBS that suspicious devices were found in Crooks' vehicle.
According to CBS, the suspect had a piece of commercially available equipment that appeared capable of initiating the devices.
Bomb technicians were called to the scene to secure and investigate the devices.
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