Thomas Matthew Crooks Researched Mass Shooter Ethan Crumbley Ahead Of Trump Rally

The investigation into 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks is ongoing, with new information continuing to emerge.

As The Blast reported, Crooks attended a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13, where he shot six to eight rounds from an AR-style rifle, attempting to assassinate the former president. While he was unsuccessful in killing Trump, he did kill one rallygoer and severely injured two others.

Law enforcement and the FBI are still investigating a possible motive, and a new source has revealed intriguing details about his search history.

According to Fox News, a source familiar with the matter claims Thomas Matthew Crooks was looking into mass high school shooter Ethan Crumbley before the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

Ethan Crumbley, now 18, is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the November 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan, where he killed four students and injured seven others when he was just 15 years old. After his historic conviction, his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

Prosecutors argued that the Crumbleys did not properly secure their firearms or their home and failed to seek the necessary help for their son before the shooting. They also highlighted that the parents had met with Oxford High School administrators to discuss their son's alarming drawings on glass just hours before the tragic event.

As investigators continue to look into Thomas Matthew Crooks' background, they found some other interesting Google searches, including photos of Trump and Biden, the Democratic National Convention (DNC), and "major depressive disorder."

This comes days after a senior congressional source, who was directly briefed on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, told NewsNation that Crooks had been diagnosed with "major depressive disorder." It remains unclear whether Crooks was on any medications or receiving therapy for the condition.

Additionally, according to ABC, three law enforcement sources have indicated that the suspect wrote a message stating, "July 13 will be my premiere; Watch as it unfolds," which appears to have hinted at his plans for the rally shooting.

State records indicate that Crooks was registered as a Republican voter. However, FEC records show a $15 donation to a progressive group under the name "Thomas Crooks" in January 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in.

This discrepancy has led investigators to question his political affiliations at the time of the shooting. Crooks, who graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, lived in a suburb south of Pittsburgh, roughly an hour's drive from the rally site.

Several of Crooks' former classmates have come forward, claiming he was a "loner" and was "bullied" by his peers.

“Those other kids would always say, ‘Hey, look at the school shooter over there!’” a former student told The New York Times. “They would tease him about his poor hygiene, his body odor. He was an easy target.”

Another individual claimed Crooks was labeled as a "school shooter" during his high school years. “Those other kids would always say, ‘Hey, look at the school shooter over there!’” a former student told The New York Times. “They would tease him about his poor hygiene, his body odor. He was an easy target.”

Jason Kohler, 21, told CNN that Crooks was bullied by other students and appeared to be a loner, noting that he often had “no facial expression” as he walked through the school hallways.

“He wasn’t, like, with the clique, so he always had, I guess, a target on his back," Kohler added.

According to The Hill, Crooks was employed as a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center when the shooting occurred.

“This morning, Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center became aware that Thomas Matthew Crooks, a dietary aide at the Center, was the alleged shooter in the assassination attempt on Former President Trump,” Marcie Grimm, the administrator for the center, said in a statement. “We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement, as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement officials at this time."

"Due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further on any specifics," she continued. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Former President Trump and the victims impacted by this terrible tragedy. We condemn all acts of violence.”