WASHINGTON: Federal law enforcement authorities scrutinised the background of Thomas Matthew Crooks on Sunday in search for what drove the 20-year-old to open fire on the former US President.
A registered Republican, Crooks lived in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, 56 km south of the Trump’s rally site.
His former classmate at Bethel Park High School recalled he did not show any particular interest in politics. The classmate said, “Crooks often kept to himself, and was super smart.” Crooks had received a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper.
His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN that he was trying to figure out what happened and would wait until he talked to law enforcement before speaking about his son.