FBI unlocks Trump shooter's phone, investigating motives behind assassination attempt

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. Donald Trump was hit in the ear in an assassination attempt by a gunman at a campaign rally on Saturday, in a chaotic and shocking incident that will fuel fears of instability ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The 78-year-old former president was rushed off stage with blood smeared across his face after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, while the gunman and a bystander were killed and two spectators critically injured. | REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images

The FBI says it has successfully unlocked the phone belonging to Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who nearly assassinated former President Donald Trump last weekend, and is investigating his electronic devices to determine a possible motive for the shooting.

In a press release updated Monday, the FBI shared that its technical specialists had accessed Crooks' phone, and they are continuing to analyze the shooter's electronic devices.

The agency announced that searches related to the suspect's home and vehicle are complete. The bureau has conducted over 100 interviews with law enforcement personnel, event attendees and other witnesses.

"The FBI has received hundreds of digital media tips, which include photos and videos taken at the scene, and we continue to review incoming tips," the bureau reported, urging anyone with relevant information to contact the agency. "While the investigative work continues, FBI victim services personnel have offered assistance to the victims of Saturday's incident."

During a rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, the 20-year-old fired a rifle from an elevated position a couple of hundred yards away from the event. Crooks slightly injured the former president, who was escorted from the rally by law enforcement and Secret Service members. Two rally attendees were also wounded in the shooting, and one attendee was killed.

While reports indicate that the gunman was a registered Republican, federal campaign finance records show he donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project.

The investigation into Crooks' electronic devices has yet to reveal a motive. Four senior officials told NBC News that more than a dozen guns were found at the Crooks' family home.

Crooks' father reportedly called the police because he had noticed his son was gone and three of his rifles were missing, according to NBC News. The call was made after his son had opened fire at the rally. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks after the 20-year-old fired several shots.

Local and federal law enforcement sources told The Washington Post that local police informed the Secret Service they lacked the resources to station an officer outside the building owned by Agr International where the gunman positioned himself. The building was located just outside of the security perimeter.

Many of the shooter's former classmates at Bethel Park High School expressed shock at Crooks' actions. One former classmate, Jameson Myers, told CBS News this week that he didn't think Crooks was "capable of anything I've seen him do in the last few days."

"When I did speak with him, he just seemed like a normal boy who was not particularly popular but never got picked on or anything," Myers said.

According to Myers, he had once been friends with Crooks in elementary school, but the pair went their separate ways by the time they reached high school. Myers, a former member of the high school's varsity rifle team, recalled that Crooks had tried out for the rifle team his freshman year of high school but didn't make the junior varsity roster. The former classmate said that Crooks did not try out for the team again.

Another former high school classmate, Jason Koehler, said that he remembered Crooks was bullied for his appearance and often wore a COVID-19 mask even after restrictions had been lifted. Koehler also recalled seeing Crooks sitting alone in the cafeteria before class started.

Mark Sigafoos, who had two classes with Crooks in high school, doesn't recall ever witnessing anyone bullying his former classmate. Sigafoos remembered Crooks as a smart kid.

"This is one of the things that is being misconstrued — he was not some type of loner trench coat wearer. And I will say he was definitely nerdy, for sure, but he never gave off that he was creepy or like a school shooter," Sigafoos said. "He seemed like he wouldn't hurt a fly."

Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman