President Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks, developed an obsession with firearms and long-distance shooting in the years leading up to his deadly rampage at the July 2024 Butler, Pa., campaign rally, according to federal records reviewed by The Post.
uncertain
assassin → develop → Post
The details of Crooks’ interest in guns and target practice were included in a trove of documents provided to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), as part of his ongoing inquiry into the first Trump assassination attempt.
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details → include → attempt
The gunman’s father, Matthew Crooks, told federal investigators that his son’s conversations with him were usually brief and related to firearms.
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conversations → tell → firearms
However, he did not liken their shared interest in guns and shooting to a form of father-son bonding, telling investigators he believed Thomas “had ulterior motives” that became clear “the minute he pulled that trigger,” in a possible reference to the Trump assassination attempt.
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he → liken → attempt
The Panther Arms A-15 semi-automatic rifle used by Thomas to carry out the assassination attempt was given to him by his father the morning of the shooting.
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rifle → use → shooting
Matthew explained that he took the rifle out of his locked gun safe — for which he changed the combination frequently after noticing his son would look over his shoulder to see the code he was entering – and gave it to Thomas, thinking he was heading to a shooting range on July 13, 2024.
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he → explain → July
Thomas first took an interest in guns and shooting during the pandemic.
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Thomas → take → pandemic
He was a “terrible” shot at first, his father explained.
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father → explain → ?
“He could not hit the paper [target],” read a summary of Matthew’s interview with the FBI the day after the Butler rally shooting.
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summary → hit → shooting
It took Thomas about four or five years of practice before he could actually hit the paper target, according to his father.
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he → take → father
Thomas was interested in eventually owning his father’s and grandfather’s guns.
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Thomas → own → guns
In one interaction Matthew described as “odd,” his son asked him if “he would have to do a background check” to buy his Glock pistol.
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he → describe → pistol
In another strange incident, Matthew watched Thomas via a surveillance camera pacing in the family’s garage, with his “arms going up and down … frantically talking and not making any sense” as the 20-year-old cleaned one of his guns.
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old → watch → guns
The bizarre scene played out on July 7, 2024, just days before the Trump assassination attempt.
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scene → play → attempt
At the gun range, Thomas was able to shoot further distances after purchasing a prism sight, and he became “very knowledgeable” about how to measure and zero in his sight, according to his father.
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he → shoot → father
The sight may have been among the numerous “parts, tools and items to increase the capacity of his rifle” that Thomas purchased on Amazon using the pseudonym “Bob Dole.”
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Thomas → increase → pseudonym
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Report → start → news
Thomas would often come back from the shooting range showing his father his shot grouping on targets that were 100-plus yards out.
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that → come → targets
When Matthew questioned Thomas — who was not a hunter — why he was “going out so far,” he told his father he just wanted to see how far he could shoot with rudimentary sights.
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he → question → sights
On at least one occasion, Thomas even attempted to manufacture a weapon on his own.
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Thomas → attempt → own
Using his 3D printer, Thomas made a Glock-19-style handgun and showed it to his father.
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Thomas → use → father
Matthew told investigators he discharged only one round from the 3D-printed weapon, and, fearing the frame would explode, barred Thomas from taking it to the range.
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frame → tell → range
Thomas Crooks started going to the gun range during the pandemic and over the next several years went from being a "terrible" shot to a capable marksman.
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Crooks → start → marksman
Newly released footage shows Thomas Matthew Crooks walking through a crowd at a Trump rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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Crooks → release → Butler
Thomas Crooks developed an obsession with firearms and long-distance shooting in the years leading up to his deadly rampage at the July 2024 Butler, Pa., campaign rally, according to federal records reviewed by The Post.
Thomas Crooks used a Panther Arms A-15 during the assassination attempt.
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Crooks → develop → attempt
A Panther Arms semiautomatic rifle used by former U.S. President Donald Trump's attacker Thomas Crooks, recovered at the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting scene.
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rifle → use → scene
Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet fired by Thomas Crooks at the July 13, 2024, Butler, Pa., rally.
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Trump → graze → rally
Matthew Crooks and Mary Crooks exit their truck and enter their home on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
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Crooks → exit → Park
A street sign is seen near the cordoned-off home of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on July 18, 2024.
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who → see → July
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