On July 13, 2024, a 20-year-old named Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed onto a rooftop near a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and opened fire. One person in the crowd was killed. Two others were critically injured. A bullet grazed Donald Trump’s right ear. Within minutes, Crooks was shot dead by a Secret Service counter-sniper. In this article, you’ll get a complete, fact-checked profile of who Thomas Matthew Crooks was — his background, his education, his family, and the full status of the investigation as of today.
Verified Fact: Thomas Matthew Crooks died on July 13, 2024, at the scene of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. He was killed by U.S. Secret Service counter-snipers. This is confirmed by the FBI, Secret Service, and multiple major news outlets. He is not alive.
Background: Who Was Thomas Matthew Crooks?
Thomas Matthew Crooks was a young man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania — a quiet suburb about 10 miles south of Pittsburgh. He was 20 years old at the time of the shooting. Nothing in his public record suggested he was capable of what he did. He had no criminal history, no prior contact with law enforcement, and no known mental health diagnosis on file. He held a job at a local nursing facility. He had recently finished a college degree.
The event that brought his name into every headline happened at a Trump campaign rally on July 13, 2024, at the Butler Farm Show grounds near Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks positioned himself on the roof of a building just outside the security perimeter — approximately 400 feet from the stage. He fired multiple rounds from an AR-15-style rifle while Trump was mid-speech. The bullet that hit Trump’s ear was, by the narrowest of margins, not fatal. Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter from Coraopolis who had shielded his family from the gunfire, was killed. David Dutch and James Copenhaver were critically wounded. Crooks was neutralized within seconds of firing his first shots.
People search for Thomas Matthew Crooks because the question at the centre of the whole event — why did he do it? — has never been answered. The FBI formally concluded its investigation in late 2025 with no established motive, no co-conspirators, and no clear ideological affiliation. That absence of explanation is, itself, why the name keeps coming up in searches.
Latest Update
As of September 16, 2026
As of September 16, 2026, Thomas Matthew Crooks has been dead for more than two years. The FBI formally closed its active investigation in late 2025, stating the case is now in a “pending, inactive” status, meaning it will only be reopened if a credible new lead surfaces. FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed in November 2025 that despite reviewing the case “over and over,” investigators found no motive and no co-conspirators who had advance knowledge of the attack.
FBI Statement (November 2025): “We have reviewed this case over and over — looked into every nugget. We have spoken to the families, the president — there is no cover-up here. There is no motive for it, there is no reason for it.” — FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, as reported by Fox News Digital, November 2025.
As recently as September 15, 2026 — one day before the date of this article — new FBI documents released to Senator Chuck Grassley as part of his ongoing congressional probe were covered by major outlets. Those documents included an FBI interview with Crooks’s father, Matthew Brian Crooks, conducted two days after the shooting. According to reporting by RedState, the father indicated that Thomas had displayed concerning behavioural patterns from a young age that, in hindsight, raised red flags. Earlier in 2026, CBS News also reported on hundreds of college emails from Crooks that revealed a student who appeared to be planning a future — contacting professors about grades, writing cheerful essays about autumn and football — while simultaneously contacting a company called Hyperfuels that has been connected to materials relevant to the attack. The emails were obtained by CBS News in May 2025 and revealed a deeply contradictory picture.
The search in Crooks’s online activity showed he had searched “how far was Oswald from Kennedy” on July 6, 2024 — the same day he registered to attend the Butler rally. He also researched the attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and searched terms related to explosives and power plants. Investigators found two improvised explosive devices in the trunk of his car and a remote detonator on his person at the time of the shooting. None of this evidence, however, pointed to a confirmed motive or an organised group behind the attack. Crooks used aliases — including “Bob Dole,” the name of the late Republican senator — to purchase firearms equipment online, with deliveries sent to his parents’ address.
Investigation Status (as of September 16, 2026): FBI investigation formally closed in late 2025 — case status: “pending, inactive.” Congressional inquiries by Senator Grassley remain ongoing. No motive officially confirmed. No co-conspirators identified.
Full Profile
| Thomas Matthew Crooks — Quick Reference | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Thomas Matthew Crooks |
| Date of Birth | September 20, 2003 |
| Date of Death | July 13, 2024 |
| Age at Death | 20 years old |
| Hometown | Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, USA |
| High School | Bethel Park High School (Class of 2022) |
| College | Community College of Allegheny County (Associate Degree, Engineering Science, 2024) |
| Employment | Dietary aide, Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center |
| Voter Registration | Registered Republican since September 2021 |
| Parents | Matthew Brian Crooks & Mary Elizabeth Crooks (both licensed professional counselors) |
| Cause of Death | Shot by U.S. Secret Service counter-sniper at Butler, PA rally |
| FBI Motive Finding | No motive established |
Family and Early Life
Crooks grew up in Bethel Park, a residential suburb south of Pittsburgh. His parents, Matthew Brian Crooks and Mary Elizabeth Crooks, are both licensed professional counselors registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State. Neighbours who spoke to reporters described the family as quiet and reclusive. One local county councillor who had knocked on their door while campaigning said he found them to be “nice people” and was shocked by what their son did.
According to CBS News reporting based on college emails, Crooks himself noted that beyond his parents and sister, he did not have access to other adults in his life — a detail that suggested a narrow social circle. His sister is mentioned in communications but her name has not been widely reported in confirmed sources, so it will not be stated here.
Education
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 with high honours. He earned a 1530 out of 1600 on the SAT, achieved perfect scores on three Advanced Placement exams, and won a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative. He was a member of the National Technical Honor Society in his junior year. By any academic measure, he was a strong student.
After high school, he enrolled at the Community College of Allegheny County, where he earned an Associate Degree in Engineering Science. He completed this degree approximately two months before the shooting. He had been accepted to the University of Pittsburgh to study mechanical engineering for the fall 2024 semester but informed the university in March 2024 that he would not attend. He had also been accepted to Robert Morris University. Both acceptances reflected genuine academic ability.
Career Path
At the time of his death, Crooks worked as a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility’s administrator, Marcie Grimm, said he performed his job without incident and that his background check had come back clean. There was no professional record suggesting instability or dangerous behaviour.
Age
Thomas Matthew Crooks was born on September 20, 2003. He was 20 years old at the time of the shooting and his death on July 13, 2024. He would have turned 21 in September 2024.
Religion
No verified information about Thomas Matthew Crooks’s religious beliefs or affiliation has been confirmed by credible sources. This will remain listed as unconfirmed.
Spouse and Partner
No verified information about a romantic relationship, girlfriend, or partner has been confirmed by any credible source. This is listed as unconfirmed. Crooks was 20 years old at the time of his death.
Net Worth
No verified financial information is available. Crooks worked a part-time dietary aide job and was a recent community college graduate. No net worth figure can be responsibly stated.
Parents
His father is Matthew Brian Crooks and his mother is Mary Elizabeth Crooks. Both hold active professional counselor licenses through the Pennsylvania Department of State, which they had held since 2002. The FBI interviewed Matthew Crooks two days after the shooting. According to documents later released to congressional investigators, the father reportedly indicated that Thomas had shown some troubling behavioural signs from a young age. The family has not made public statements beyond what has been released through investigators.
Height
No verified height measurement for Thomas Matthew Crooks has been confirmed in credible published sources. This is listed as unconfirmed.
Hometown and State of Origin
Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. It is a borough in Allegheny County, about 10 miles south of downtown Pittsburgh. It is a working and middle-class residential area with a population of roughly 30,000 people.
Political Affiliation
Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. His voter registration had been active since September 2021, the month he turned 18. Earlier in January 2021, records show he made a $15 donation to the Progressive Turnout Project, a left-leaning political action committee. The FBI said he had no identifiable political ideology based on their full investigation.
Official Social Media
No verified, official social media accounts belonging to Thomas Matthew Crooks have been publicly confirmed by law enforcement or major news outlets. Any accounts circulating online claiming to be his should be treated with significant caution.
Reader Questions
Who is Thomas Matthew Crooks?
Thomas Matthew Crooks was a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. He shot from a rooftop approximately 400 feet from the stage, wounding Trump’s ear, killing one rally attendee, and critically injuring two others. He was shot dead within moments by a U.S. Secret Service counter-sniper team.
What was Thomas Matthew Crooks’s motive?
No motive was ever officially confirmed. The FBI conducted an extensive investigation spanning more than a year and formally closed the active case in late 2025, stating that despite reviewing all available evidence, they could not establish a definitive reason for the attack. No co-conspirators were identified. The case remains officially “pending, inactive” as of September 2026.
How old was Thomas Matthew Crooks when he died?
Crooks was 20 years old. He was born on September 20, 2003, and died on July 13, 2024, roughly two months before his 21st birthday.
Was Thomas Matthew Crooks a Democrat or Republican?
Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. However, in January 2021 he made a $15 donation to a left-leaning political action committee. The FBI concluded he had no identifiable political ideology, so his party registration alone should not be taken as a definitive indicator of motivation.
Who was killed at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania?
Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old retired firefighter from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, was killed during the shooting. He died while shielding his family from the gunfire. Two other attendees, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were critically wounded. Donald Trump was struck by a bullet that grazed his right ear.
Did Thomas Matthew Crooks act alone?
Yes, according to the FBI’s official findings. Investigators concluded that Crooks acted alone and found no evidence of co-conspirators who had advance knowledge of the attack. He planned the shooting over a period of weeks, conducting online research, purchasing supplies under aliases, and visiting a shooting range the day before the event.
What did Thomas Matthew Crooks do for a living?
He worked as a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a local nursing facility. He had also recently completed an Associate Degree in Engineering Science from the Community College of Allegheny County, just two months before the shooting. He had been accepted to the University of Pittsburgh for mechanical engineering but chose not to attend.
Was Thomas Matthew Crooks bullied in school?
This is contested. Some former classmates told reporters that Crooks was bullied for his quiet demeanour, body odour, and habit of wearing camouflage hunting outfits to school. However, Bethel Park School District issued a formal statement in 2024 saying their records showed no disciplinary incidents related to bullying. The school also stated they had no record of Crooks trying out for the school rifle team, contradicting some classmate accounts.
Wrap-Up
Thomas Matthew Crooks presents one of the more genuinely puzzling profiles in the history of American political violence. He was academically talented — a near-perfect SAT scorer, an AP student, a college graduate at 20. He had no criminal record, no known mental health diagnosis, no publicly stated grievance, and no clear political allegiance that investigators could pin down. The man who came within inches of killing a former president and presumptive presidential nominee had, by every external measure, been going about the quiet business of building a normal young life right up until he didn’t.
The FBI’s conclusion — that there is simply no recoverable motive — is unusual in modern American investigative history. Major acts of political violence typically leave some kind of trail: a manifesto, a history of radicalisation, a group affiliation, a documented grudge. Crooks left almost none of these things. What investigators did find was evidence of cold, methodical planning: aliases used to buy supplies, deliberate online research, a visit to the shooting range the day before. The planning was real. The reason behind it has never been found.
Note on Ongoing Inquiries: As of September 16, 2026, congressional investigators including Senator Chuck Grassley continue to review FBI documents related to the case. New documents surfaced as recently as September 15, 2026. If significant new information becomes public, this article will be updated accordingly. The FBI case itself remains in “pending, inactive” status.
Two years on, Crooks remains a searched name precisely because the story feels unfinished. The attack happened. The physical facts are fully documented. But the human story at the centre of it — what Thomas Matthew Crooks actually wanted, or feared, or believed — remains, officially, unknown. That open question is likely to keep his name in search results for years to come.
Thomas Andrew is the founder of Odubio.com, a digital platform sharing inspiring biographies, news, and stories about global icons and achievers.