Federal documents reveal that Thomas Crooks, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump in July 2024 at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, developed an intense obsession with firearms over several years prior to the incident. According to records provided to Senator Chuck Grassley’s committee, Crooks’ father reported his son had become proficient in long-distance shooting after about four or five years of practice and purchased various gun parts online under fake names. The documents also detail how Matthew Crooks handed Thomas the same rifle used in the assassination attempt just hours before it occurred, believing his son was going to a shooting range.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
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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