Thomas Matthew Crooks Had Donald Trump Signs in His Yard—Neighbor

A neighbor of the 20-year-old who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump said there have been pro-Trump signs on display in the yard of his family's home.

Authorities identified Thomas Matthew Crooks as the gunman who opened fired from a rooftop as the former president spoke at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The presumptive Republican nominee was rushed off stage by Secret Service agents after a bullet hit his right ear.

One person was killed and two others were seriously injured before Crooks was shot dead by the Secret Service.

Investigators are working to determine what motivated Crooks to carry out the attack. The FBI said it is investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism, and believe Crooks acted alone.

Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified as the gunman who fired shots at Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday. A neighbor of the 20-year-old has said they saw pro-Trump signs in the yard of his family's... Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified as the gunman who fired shots at Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday. A neighbor of the 20-year-old has said they saw pro-Trump signs in the yard of his family's home. More Bethel Park School District

Crooks' political leanings are not clear. He was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but records show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on January 20, 2021—the day President Joe Biden was sworn into office.

A neighbor in Bethel Park, the Pittsburgh suburb where Crooks lived, said they saw pro-Trump signs in the family's yard as recently as a few months ago.

"There absolutely was MAGA-supporting signs for a while," Kelly Little told WTAE-TV.

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and worked as a dietary aide at a nursing home less than a mile from his family's house. A colleague told CNN that he had never expressed political views at work and wasn't "a radical."

Both of Crooks' parents worked as social workers, CNN reported, citing state license records. His mother is registered as a Democrat, while his father is registered to vote as a Libertarian.

His father Matthew Crooks told CNN late on Saturday that he was trying to figure out "what the hell is going on" and would not speak publicly about his son until after he talked to law enforcement.

President Joe Biden urged Americans to refrain from making assumptions about the shooter's motives.

"We don't yet have any information about the motive of the shooter," Biden said in remarks from the White House on Sunday.

"I urge everyone—everyone, please, don't make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations. Let the FBI do their job, and their partner agencies do their job," he said. "I've instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift. And the investigators will have every resource they need to get this done."

Update 7/16/24, 07:15 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add additional information.