Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at former US President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, may have planned a distraction during the shooting. The 20-year-old, on Saturday, drove his Hyundai Sonata to Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, about an hour north of Pittsburgh, according to law enforcement officials.
He joined thousands of people from around the region at the rally.
Crooks was in possession of a remote control transmitter and a detonator, besides an improvised metal explosive device in his car trunk, connected to a receiver, CNN reported. This suggests that he may have intended to set off an explosion remotely, potentially as a diversion or distraction.
Crooks made several suspicious stops in the days leading up to the attack, including visiting a shooting range a day before the assassination attempot, a Home Depot and a gun store, where he purchased about 50 rounds of ammunition and a 5-foot ladder, as per reports. He also visited the Clairton Sportsmen's Club and practised shooting, an official informed CNN.
Investigators believe he used the ladder he bought to climb a nearby building before opening fire on Trump. At 6:11 pm on Saturday, Crooks fired several shots with an AR-style rifle from approximately 130 yards away, nicking former President Trump's ear, killing one rally goer, and injuring two others, before being shot dead by the Secret Service.
The rifle was legally purchased by the shooter's father, Matthew Crooks, who was also a member of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club.
Investigators went through Thomas Crooks' phone, computer and bedroom, and even interviewed his family and friends, but they have found no clear motive for the attack. The evidence they found showed typical online activities, including an interest in computer coding and gaming, sources said. This has raised more questions and they are still searching for answers.
