Thomas Matthew Crooks researched Ethan Crumbley & other mass shooters and was likely motivated by a desire for infamy, notoriety and orchestrating a mass casualty event as opposed to political ideology.
At what cost infamy and notoriety? Alleged would be Donald Trump assassin researched school shooter Ethan Crumbley and other mass shooters in the days and weeks before opening fire during last weekend’s sniper shooting according to a new report.
The search history has since led to investigators now believing that Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was mostly focused on a mass-casualty event — and that Trump’s rally close to his home in Pennsylvania was more about convenience than an ideological target, a US official briefed on the issue told CNN.
Crooks research included looking up how to build explosives, the report said — with some found in his home, and a detonator also lying next to his body after he was finally killed by a sniper.
Researched range of high profile figures that would bring mass casualty
Crooks also looked up mass shooters, including infamous mass school shooter, Ethan Crumbley, who was just 15 when he gunned down four classmates at Oxford High School in December 2021.
Crooks had a photo on his phone of the mass shooter who he revered, just after his arrest — along with information about Crumbley’s parents, who are both convicted of involuntary manslaughter for failing to stop their son’s carnage.
Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison without parole while his parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, who failed to secure the handgun used in the shooting, were sentenced to 15 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years.
Other Google searches included the location of Trump’s Butler rally three days after Trump’s campaign announcing the event. Crooks also Googled President Biden and the schedule for the Democratic National Convention and the movements of other top political figures, suggesting his motive was not specific ideology but instead a headline-grabbing massacre.
On the day of the shooting, the gunman scoped out the Trump rally in Butler, Pa. — somehow being allowed to climb on a roof and almost assassinate the former President Trump despite long raising suspicion — while also monitoring a livestream, taking a screenshot moments before opening fire, CNN reported.
On the day of the rally, Crooks’ online searches included photos of the rally location, and for a local gun store where he later purchased ammunition.
The day prior to Saturday’s shooting, Crooks went to Clairton Sportsmen’s Club shooting range and practiced firing, where he along with his father were members.
The following morning, Crooks visited the farm grounds for over an hour. He then returned home, where investigators believe that he grabbed an AR-15 rifle owned by his father.
Crooks’ dad, Matthew Crooks, 53, later told authorities that he saw his son leave with the rifle, and assumed he was going back to the shooting range they frequently visited together, CNN reported.
Investigators have refrained from offering a specific motive for the shooting, which only hit Trump’s ear thanks to a sudden head movement while killing one innocent attendee and critically wounding two others, with Secret Service snipers fatally taking down Crooks within seconds of the 20 year old managing to get eight shots off.
Family and people who worked with Crooks have described him as quiet without any overt political affiliations. A pair of former high school classmates remembered him being cut from the school rifle team for being a bad shot.
Everything to live for?
In April, Crooks searched online for information on major depressive disorder and depressive crisis treatment. It remained unclear if the alleged gunman’s parents, both licensed behavioral therapists were aware of the onset of a looming mental health crises and whether they had sought the 20 year old to attain counseling or medication.
Authorities later found explosive devices in Crooks’ car, as well as a bullet-proof vest, additional magazines, and a drone, officials who briefed lawmakers on Wednesday said.
At the Crooks’ family home in Bethel Park, investigators also found 14 firearms and more explosives, as well as a second cell phone, a laptop and a hard drive.
Of note, Crooks recently graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County with an associate degree in engineering science this spring and had been admitted to both the University of Pittsburgh and Robert Morris University for the fall.
Seemingly the 20 year old had everything to live for.
Prior to making his way to the Butler rally, Crooks had told his nursing home employer that he needed to take the day off, but would nevertheless be back to work the next day, Sunday. Except he never made it.
