Neighbor of Thomas Crooks speaks out
Kelly Little of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania tells Fox News Digital she rarely encountered the Trump shooting suspect's family despite living across the street.
BETHEL PARK, Pa. – The Pennsylvania gun shop where would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks bought ammunition before a deadly attempt on former President Donald Trump's life at a rally in nearby Butler County has vowed to fully support law enforcement as investigators seek answers in Saturday's attack.
"As a responsible member of our community, it is our prerogative to cooperate with law enforcement in every way," Allegheny Arms owner Bruce Piendl told Fox News Digital. "We are thankful that President Trump was not assassinated, and our hearts go out to all victims of this horrible incident."
Trump suffered an injury to his right ear in the attack, which killed a spectator named Corey Comperatore and critically wounded two other bystanders – David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, according to authorities.
The FBI, which is leading the investigation into Crooks' actions, previously said he was not on the radar of federal law enforcement and had no prior criminal record or history of mental illness.
PENNSYLVANIA GUN CLUB WHERE WOULD-BE TRUMP ASSASSIN WAS MEMBER VISITED BY FBI
The owner of Allegheny Arms had pledged his full support and cooperation with law enforcement as authorities look into would-be Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital.)
The 20-year-old from Bethel Park graduated from the local high school in 2022. Classmates described him as quiet, a bit of an outcast and the target of bullies. They also remembered him as a strong student, great with math and computers.
He went on to major in engineering at the Community College of Allegheny County while working in the kitchen of a nursing home.
On the day of the shooting, he went to the gun shop just over a mile from his parents' house and bought 50 rounds of ammo, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported earlier.
Allegheny Arms bills itself as "a new concept, a new attitude for a new generation of responsible firearms owner[s]" in an area where sports shooting and hunting are common activities.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surround by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
"Out of respect for the ongoing investigation and that of those affected, we will not make any further statements," the shop owner added.
Federal investigators were still working to identify a motive. Law enforcement sources told Fox News Monday that his phone, laptop and the rifle used in the attack were taken to the FBI's facility in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.
FBI agents also visited the Clairton Sportmen's Club, where Crooks was a member.
An undated image of Thomas Matthew Crooks. (Handout via AFP)
OFFICER REPORTED MAN AT TRUMP RALLY WITH RANGE-FINDER 30 MINS BEFORE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: SOURCE
It was not immediately clear whether investigators found anything of evidentiary value at the range, and members condemned the suspect and his actions as something their community is "not about."
A view of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club, where Thomas Matthew Crooks, named by the FBI as the "subject involved" in the attempted assassination of former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, was a member, in Clairton, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 15, 2024. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)
"Obviously, the Club fully admonishes the senseless act of violence that occurred [Saturday]," said Rob Bootay, an attorney for the club. "The Club also offers its sincerest condolences to the Comperatore family and extends prayers to all of those injured including the former President."
Crooks used a DPMS AR-15 5.56 rifle in the attack, according to the sources. His father purchased it legally back in 2013 – but not from Allegheny Arms.
Undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks is alleged to be the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Searches of the suspect’s house and vehicle wrapped up Sunday night. The bureau also said the FBI had interviewed nearly 100 witnesses, including members of law enforcement, as of Monday afternoon.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to submit tips at http://tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Authorities approach the suspected gunman from where he fell after the U.S. Secret Service returned fire after an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Dave Katz, a former federal forearms instructor and the CEO of Global Security Group, said if anyone had seen red flags before the attack it would have been people he spent the most time with – including friends, family, co-workers and classmates – not people he may have encountered at the range or store.
"If the shooter can manage an air of normalcy going to and from the range, where’s the red flag?" he told Fox News Digital. "Look at the Aurora [Colorado] theater gunman. He went to a range three days before, and the owner threw him out -- because he wasn’t behaving normal."
Fox News’ CB Cotton, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
