July 16th 2024.
In the days leading up to the shocking act of violence against former President Donald Trump, there were a series of unusual events involving a young man named Thomas Matthew Crooks from suburban Pittsburgh. It all began on a Friday when Crooks, a 20-year-old, visited a shooting range where he was a member. According to a law enforcement official who spoke with CNN, he spent some time practicing his firing skills.
The next day, Crooks made a couple of stops in town. The first was at a Home Depot where he purchased a five-foot ladder. From there, he went to a local gun store and bought 50 rounds of ammunition. These actions seemed relatively innocent at the time, but now they take on a much more sinister meaning. As we now know, Crooks had a much bigger plan in mind.
The same day he bought the ladder and ammunition, Crooks drove his car for about an hour to Butler, Pennsylvania, a town north of his home. This was the location of a rally held by Trump, and Crooks was one of the thousands of people who showed up to attend. However, his intentions were far from innocent. He parked his car outside the rally and inside the trunk, he had an improvised explosive device that was connected to a transmitter he carried on his person.
Once at the rally, investigators believe that Crooks used the ladder he had purchased earlier to climb up a nearby building and opened fire on the former president. It was a terrifying and chaotic scene, and it was only by sheer luck that Trump was not injured or killed. As investigators work to understand why this young man would attempt such a heinous act, they are looking closely at his movements leading up to the attack, trying to piece together a timeline of events.
Despite their efforts, law enforcement officials are still struggling to make sense of Crooks' actions. Even after searching through his phone, computer, and interviewing those close to him, they have yet to find any evidence of a political or ideological motive. In fact, they have discovered that he was interested in computer coding and gaming, which has only raised more questions.
One of the most disturbing details is that Crooks had a remote control detonator on his person and a metal box of explosives in his car's trunk. This suggests that he may have been planning to cause even more destruction remotely, possibly as a distraction during the shooting. Investigators are also trying to determine how Crooks obtained and assembled the explosive devices, as there is no evidence of him researching how to make them.
It turns out that the rifle used by Crooks in the attack was legally purchased by his father, Matthew Crooks. In fact, the elder Crooks had over 20 firearms registered in his name, all of which were kept at the family's home. The father and son were both members of a local gun club, and they enjoyed going shooting together. The club's lawyer confirmed that the younger Crooks was a member, and the range was long enough to accommodate the distance between him and Trump during the shooting.
In the aftermath of the attack, there has been an outpouring of support for the victims and condemnation of the violence. The store where Crooks bought the ammunition expressed their relief that Trump was not harmed and offered their condolences to all those affected. The Home Depot where he purchased the ladder also shared a statement, condemning the violence and expressing their thoughts for the victims and their families.
As for Crooks himself, his parents have been cooperating with investigators, but they appear to be as perplexed as anyone about their son's actions. They have told officials that he did not have many friends and did not seem to have any strong political leanings. However, they also do not seem to know much about what was going on in his life leading up to the attack. Despite making progress in accessing his cell phone, investigators are still struggling to understand the motivations behind Crooks' attempted assassination of the former president.
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