New Video Shows Thomas Matthew Crooks Being Bullied In School

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, is said to have minimal friends and was a bit of a black sheep in school.

The 20-year-old, who graduated from Bethel Park High School with the Class of 2022, opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend, killing one. The Secret Service also shot and killed Crooks.

While a motive for the shooting is still being investigated, new details surrounding Thomas Matthew Crooks are surfacing, including a video that shows Crooks being bullied in school.

Multiple people who interacted with the 20-year-old have come forward, expressing their experiences and interactions with Crooks.

"He was more of a loner. He probably had a friend group but not many friends," a former classmate said as another claimed “There was definitely chatter about him just looking a little different. Almost a retro nerd vibe.”

Another individual who knew Crooks spoke to CNN, claiming Crooks was bullied in school. He had “no facial expression” when he walked through the school hallways, Kohler said. “He wasn’t, like, with the clique, so he always had, I guess, a target on his back.”

And now, new video footage is showing just that.

A few years ago, Thomas Matthew Crooks was recorded during high school, and the recently emerged online footage captures him being bothered by another student in the class. In the video, Crooks sits at his desk while someone tugs on his pant leg.

The individual tugging at his pants appears to be attempting to pull him out of his seat. While it seems playful, you can hear someone off-camera repeatedly saying, "Stop." It seems that the person is Crooks himself, who later mentions that his leg is being bothered.

Others can be heard laughing at the situation.

On Saturday, Crooks fired several shots at Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania, with one bullet grazing the former president's right ear. The gun, an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, was traced to Crooks’ father.

“We are working hard to determine the sequence of events related to the subject and his movements in the hours, days, and weeks prior to the shooting,” Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office said while noting that “we’re still very early in this investigation.”

Federal Election Commission records reveal that a donor named Thomas Crooks, linked to the gunman's street address, contributed $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a Democratic-aligned political action committee, on Inauguration Day in January 2021, when Crooks was 17 years old. However, a week after turning 18, Crooks registered to vote as a Republican, according to Pennsylvania's voter database.

CNN reported that Crooks worked as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home less than a mile from his family's home.

Following the tragedy, the Bethel Park School District confirmed that Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School with the Class of 2022.

"The school district wishes to express its sincere wishes for a speedy and full recovery for Mr. Trump and for those in attendance at the Saturday event who may have been physically harmed or emotionally impacted by these tragic events. We offer special condolences to the family of at least one attendee who was killed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time," the district said in a statement, per The New York Times.

Following the terrifying incident, former President Donald Trump broke his silence, thanking law enforcement and the Secret Service for their protection.

"I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania," he said in a Truth Social post. "Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country."

"Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear," the former President revealed. "I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!"