Thomas Matthew Crooks made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate former US president Donald Trump last week, during a rally in Pennsylvania. Now some reports have emerged suggesting that the shooter’s father called the police before the incident because he was concerned about his son’s whereabouts.
The specifics of the conversation remain unclear, but Crooks’ parents, Mary and Matthew, had informed officers of their concerns and their son’s unexpected disappearance, Fox News reported.
Investigators are still working to determine the 20-year-old gunman‘s motive. Some media reports show that he had conducted online searches related to major depressive disorder and the upcoming Democratic National Convention. He had also saved images of various political figures and a member of the British Royal Family.
Prior to the attack, a counter-sniper had alerted the US Secret Service about a suspicious individual using a rangefinder, approximately 20 minutes before the shooting began. Local police had initially spotted the gunman acting strangely and carrying a backpack about an hour before the incident but lost sight of him in the crowd.
Officers searched the area where Crooks had positioned his rifle on a rooftop. One officer, hoisted onto the roof by a colleague, encountered the suspect, who pointed a rifle at him. The officer, finding himself in a “defenceless” position, let go of the roof and fell to the ground, alerting others to the gunman’s presence. Moments later, the shooting started.
Investigators are exploring various theories regarding how Crooks managed to bring his AR-style rifle to the scene undetected. They are focusing on retracing his steps in the hours leading up to the attack to better understand the sequence of events. Officials said that the semi-automatic rifle used by the gunman had been legally purchased by Crooks’ father in 2013.
When the gunman was found, he was carrying a remote detonator, and his car contained explosives, according to law enforcement sources. The investigation is ongoing, and the motive behind the attack remains unclear, with no definitive link to any political ideology established so far.
The specifics of the conversation remain unclear, but Crooks’ parents, Mary and Matthew, had informed officers of their concerns and their son’s unexpected disappearance, Fox News reported.
Investigators are still working to determine the 20-year-old gunman‘s motive. Some media reports show that he had conducted online searches related to major depressive disorder and the upcoming Democratic National Convention. He had also saved images of various political figures and a member of the British Royal Family.
Prior to the attack, a counter-sniper had alerted the US Secret Service about a suspicious individual using a rangefinder, approximately 20 minutes before the shooting began. Local police had initially spotted the gunman acting strangely and carrying a backpack about an hour before the incident but lost sight of him in the crowd.
Officers searched the area where Crooks had positioned his rifle on a rooftop. One officer, hoisted onto the roof by a colleague, encountered the suspect, who pointed a rifle at him. The officer, finding himself in a “defenceless” position, let go of the roof and fell to the ground, alerting others to the gunman’s presence. Moments later, the shooting started.
Investigators are exploring various theories regarding how Crooks managed to bring his AR-style rifle to the scene undetected. They are focusing on retracing his steps in the hours leading up to the attack to better understand the sequence of events. Officials said that the semi-automatic rifle used by the gunman had been legally purchased by Crooks’ father in 2013.
When the gunman was found, he was carrying a remote detonator, and his car contained explosives, according to law enforcement sources. The investigation is ongoing, and the motive behind the attack remains unclear, with no definitive link to any political ideology established so far.