Quick Take
In the days following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, social media swirled with misinformation about the shooter. The 20-year-old gunman was a registered Republican and there is no evidence he had a criminal record, contrary to popular claims online.
Full Story
On July 13, a gunman fired shots at Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a small city north of Pittsburgh, injuring the former president. One spectator at the rally was killed and two others were critically injured.
The FBI, which is investigating the incident as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism, identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a suburb south of Pittsburgh. Crooks was killed on the scene by the Secret Service.
As of July 15, the FBI had not identified a motive for the shooting and believed the shooter had acted alone.
“At present we have not identified an ideology associated with the subject, but I want to remind everyone that we’re still very early in this investigation,” Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge, said in a call with reporters on July 14, according to the Washington Post. Rojek added that there was “no indication of any mental health issues,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
As information about the gunman trickles out, social media has been flooded with false claims about the shooter.
Several posts include photos or video of a man who is not Crooks, but rather a similar-looking X user who pretended to be Crooks on social media.
“ANTIFA SCUM,” proclaims one Facebook Post, which features two such images. “He was a registered Democrat who voted for Clinton and Biden,” referring to the Democratic presidential nominees in 2016 and 2020, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, respectively, who ran against Trump.
Other posts have made similar false or unsupported claims, with and without inaccurate photos.
Yet another post alleged media bias by baselessly claiming that Crooks had been previously arrested.
“Look at the pictures they chose to share of this deplorable. High school pictures where he looks innocent,” reads one popular post on Threads. “The man was problematic, arrested more than once, why aren’t they sharing his mug shots?”
Crooks, in fact, was a registered Republican. A Pennsylvania voter registration record matching Crooks’ name, age and address lists his voting status as “active” and his party affiliation as Republican.
Crooks, however, did make a small donation to a Democratic-aligned political action committee before he could vote. Federal campaign finance filings show a person with Crooks’ name and address made a $15 donation to the Progressive Turnout Project on Inauguration Day in January 2021. The aim of that group is to rally Democrats to vote.
A spokesperson for the Progressive Turnout Project told CNN that the donation came in response to an inauguration-themed email, and that “the email address associated with the contribution only made the one contribution and was unsubscribed from our lists 2 years ago.”
Being just 20 years old at the time of the shooting, Crooks was not old enough to vote in the 2016 or 2020 elections, and could not have voted for Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden. An Allegheny County spokesperson told CNN that Crooks had voted just one time, in the 2022 midterm general election.
There is no evidence that Crooks participated in any protests or was part of the anti-fascist movement called antifa. On the contrary, the FBI has not readily been able to identify a motive or ideology. The individual whose image has appeared in many posts is an X user who goes by the handle @jewgazing who has since said that his posts were a joke, other fact-checking organizations have reported.
As for the claim about media bias, there are no mug shots because there’s no evidence Crooks had a criminal record. Per multiple news outlets, a search of Pennsylvania’s public court records for Crooks yields no results. USA Today also found no record of Crooks in federal databases. The FBI has similarly said that the suspect was not previously known to the agency. And the administrator of the skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility where Crooks worked noted in a statement that “his background check was clean.”
What’s Known About the Gunman
Crooks worked as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, where he “performed his job without concern,” according to a statement released to numerous news outlets.
In May, Crooks earned an associate degree in engineering science from the Community College of Allegheny County. He also was a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School.
Former classmates and other acquaintances generally recall Crooks as a quiet, smart kid, per interviews with various news outlets, with some noting that he was bullied in school.
According to reporting by the Washington Post, Crooks lived at home with his parents, both of whom are licensed counselors, and he was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, a nearby shooting range. The AR-style gun that Crooks used in the shooting had been legally purchased by his father in 2013. Crooks purchased 50 rounds of ammunition on the morning of July 13, the Post also reported.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here. Facebook has no control over our editorial content.
Sources
“Update on the FBI Investigation of the Attempted Assassination of Former President Donald Trump.” Press release. FBI. 15 Jul 2024.
“Pennsylvania State Police Identify Victims Shot During Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump.” Press release. Pennsylvania State Police. 14 Jul 2024.
“Secret Service Statements Regarding Violence at the July 13, 2024, Trump Campaign Rally.” Press release. United States Secret Service. 14 Jul 2024.
Davies, Emily et al. “Trump rally shooter appears to have acted alone, FBI says.” Washington Post. 14 Jul 2024.
Gurman, Sadie. “FBI on Shooter: ‘No indication of Any Mental Health Issues.’” Wall Street Journal. 15 Jul 2024.
Stiller, Jesse. “FACT CHECK: Viral Photo of Man is Not Trump Rally Shooter.” Check Your Fact. 14 Jul 2024.
Schenk, Maarten. “Fact Check: Photo and Video Do NOT Show Thomas Matthew Crooks — It Is X User ‘Jewgazing.’” Lead Stories. 14 Jul 2024.
Crooks, Thomas Matthew Voter Status Record. Department of State, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Search performed on 15 Jul 2024.
“Police present outside home of Trump shooter, Thomas Crooks.” USA Today. 15 Jul 2024.
Robertson, Campbell et al. “Here’s What Is Known About the Suspect Who Tried to Assassinate Trump.” New York Times. Updated 15 Jul 2024.
Tolan, Casey et al. “What we know about the Trump rally gunman so far.” CNN. 14 Jul 2024.
Jacoby, Kenny. “Trump rally shooter Thomas Crooks: Neighbors, classmates, employer speak.” USA Today. Updated 15 Jul 2024.
Diaz, Jaclyn and Dave Mistich. “What we know about the alleged Trump shooter.” NPR. Updated 15 Jul 2024.
Borter, Gabriella et al. “Suspect came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why.” Reuters. 15 Jul 2024.
“A Statement from the Bethel Park School District Regarding Thomas Matthew Crooks.” Press release. Bethel Park School District. 14 Jul 2024.
Marcius, Chelsia Rose et al. “Trump Rally Gunman ‘Didn’t Want Attention’ in School, Classmates Said.” New York Times. Updated 16 Jul 2024.
Debusmann, Bernd et al. “Thomas Matthew Crooks: What we know about the Trump attacker.” BBC. Updated 16 Jul 2024.
de Guzman, Chad. “What We Know—and Don’t Know—So Far About the Trump Rally Gunman.” Time. 15 Jul 2024.
Craig, Tom et al. “Rifle used by Trump rally shooter bought 11 years ago, person familiar says.” Washington Post. 15 Jul 2024.