Former classmate describes Trump rally gunman as ‘definitely conservative’

As mystery continues surrounding the possible motivations of the 20-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of trying to kill Donald Trump at a campaign rally, a former classmate of his came forward to describe him as “definitely conservative” when they were in school together.

“It makes me wonder why he would carry out an assassination attempt on the conservative candidate,” Max R Smith told the Philadelphia Inquirer of the accused shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks.

The FBI has not disclosed details on a possible motive in connection with Saturday’s shooting, which killed one spectator, injured two others and wounded the former US president in the ear – before Crooks was shot to death himself by Secret Service agents.

The bureau had previously seized several of Crooks’s electronic devices in an effort to piece together some of his communications before the rally.

By Monday, the FBI had accessed Crooks’s cellphone, and a preliminary review of its contents had not helped agents determine what his motive was for shooting at Trump, NBC News reported, citing a senior US law enforcement official.

Agents were seen on Monday canvassing Crooks’ neighborhood, knocking on people’s doors and asking them if they knew anything about him.

Smith’s recollection potentially adds contours to the complicated portrait of Crooks, who donated $15 as a 17-year-old to a progressive political action committee in early 2021 – and then registered to vote as a Republican months later aged 18, according to federal finance records and Pennsylvania voter data.

Smith said he and Crooks took a sophomore US history course together at Bethel Park high school, located in a middle-class suburb eight miles (13km) south of Pittsburgh.

Smith told the Inquirer about a mock debate in which the history professor asked students to signal their support or opposition for government policy proposals.

“The majority of the class were on the liberal side, but Tom, no matter what, always stood his ground on the conservative side,” Smith said. “That’s still the picture I have of him. Just standing alone on one side while the rest of the class was on the other.”

Recollections about Crooks’ political views and high school experience vary considerably.

The son of a registered Libertarian father and Democratic mother, who are both licensed to work as behavioral health counselors, Crooks was cast by some former classmates as a tormented victim of bullying – and others as a kind, affable, “nerdy” child who excelled at math and science.

“He was very kind,” Mark Sigafoos told the Inquirer, adding that Crooks would help him in the two classes they shared. “He was a nerdy kid, but I don’t think he was as harshly bullied as some people are saying.

“I feel like this is one of those things that you wouldn’t expect from him … No one that I know said they ever found him to be a creepy, loner kind of guy.”

Sigafoos does not recall Crooks making political overtures in class – but rather as someone interested in how government works, and “not trying to insert his own beliefs into it”.

Yet another student from Bethel Park, who did not share any classes with Crooks, said he was mocked for his clothes, which included hunting outfits.

“He was bullied almost every day,” Jason Kohler told reporters. “He was just a outcast, and you know how kids are nowadays.”

Crooks reportedly shot at Trump wearing a T-shirt promoting The Demolition Ranch, a YouTube channel for gun enthusiasts. The channel has millions of subscribers featuring videos on different guns and explosive devices.

Secret Service counter-snipers fatally shot Crooks after he fired at Trump from a bottle manufacturing plant rooftop with an AR-style semiautomatic rifle legally purchased by his father.

Citing anonymous law enforcement sources, ABC News reported on Monday that local police helping watch the rally crowd had used the plant as a staging area. Investigators believe Crooks got on to the roof without a ladder and were trying to determine whether access to the roof had been properly locked down.

CNN reported being told by a senior law enforcement source that Crooks bought 50 rounds of ammunition hours before Saturday’s attack.

Trump said he was physically “fine” after a bullet hit the tip of his right ear.

The audience member killed was identified as the former firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50. David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, who were also in the audience, were both critically wounded.

Explosives were later found in Crooks’ vehicle, according to several news outlets, including CBS and the New York Times, citing anonymous law enforcement sources.

Crooks graduated high school in 2022.

The Hill reported on Monday that Crooks appeared alongside other Bethel Park high school students alongside a teacher in a video ad for asset manager BlackRock and its management for US public school teachers’ retirement plans.

BlackRock told The Hill that the company had removed the ad from circulation while making its video available to investigators.

He had been working as a dietary aid helping prepare food at a local nursing home. Marcie Grimm, the administrator of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, said in a statement that Crooks had a clean background check when he was hired.

Initial searches appear to suggest that Crooks was not an avid social media user, and no clues about his motives or political declarations have so far been discovered in online posts or publications.

Nina Lakhani contributed reporting