A 20year-old gunman, Thomas Crooks has been identified as the suspect in the attempted assassination of former US president, Donald Trump.
The shocking incident has fueled anxiety in the run-up to the election which will take place in November, 2024
Trump, who survived the attack, said he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.
Crooks was shot and killed by the US Secret Service seconds after he allegedly fired shots toward a stage where Trump was speaking on Saturday evening (local time)
The FBI said that it was working to determine the motive behind the attack, in which one rally attendee died and two others were critically injured.
The Secret Service said Trump was safe after he was rushed off the stage with blood on his face.
Reuters reported that according to state voter records, Crooks was a registered Republican.
In fact, the upcoming November 5 US presidential election would have reportedly been the first time Crooks would have been old enough to vote in a presidential race.
Below are five things known about Crooks:
1. Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
2. State voter records revealed that Crooks was a registered Republican, Reuters said.
3. Crooks lived about an hour away from where the shooting took place in Butler.
4. When he was 17, Crooks made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians, according to a 2021 Federal Election Commission filing.
5. Crooks received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review stated.
