The father of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has been seen in public for the first time since the incident. The shooting resulted in one fatality and injuries to two others, including the former president.
Fox News Digital encountered the man identified as Crooks’ father – Matthew Crooks, according to a neighbor and local business employee. Approached for comment, he respectfully declined to answer questions.
“We’re going to release a statement when our legal counsel advises us to do so – until then, we have no comment,” Mr. Crooks told Fox News Digital before loading items into a vehicle. “We just want to try to take care of ourselves right now. Please, just give us our space.”
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Matthew Crooks, father of Thomas Matthew Crooks, publicly requesting privacy for his family after the rally shooting incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.
This public appearance comes as the Thomas Crooks Family is under intense scrutiny following the shooting. Earlier reports from FOX News Digital revealed that hours before the rally shooting, Crooks’ parents, Matthew and Mary, contacted police to report their son missing, expressing concerns about his well-being. It remains unclear whether the parents were aware of Thomas’s possession of an AR-15, which was registered to his father.
The Crooks family is reportedly cooperating fully with the ongoing FBI investigation as authorities attempt to determine the motive behind the assassination attempt. Significant questions remain unanswered, including how Thomas Matthew Crooks managed to bypass security measures and gain access to a rooftop location from which he fired shots at rally attendees and the former president.
Matthew Crooks, father of Thomas Matthew Crooks, publicly requesting privacy for his family after the rally shooting incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, who had recently obtained an associate’s degree in engineering from the Community College of Allegheny County, was fatally shot by a sniper positioned on another rooftop during the incident. Investigators are still working to uncover the motivation behind his actions.
According to a former classmate, Crooks had previously expressed disapproval of politicians and confronted the classmate regarding his support for Donald Trump. Furthermore, prior to the shooting, Crooks’ online search history included details about the dates and times of both Democratic and Republican national conventions, images of President Trump and President Biden, and information related to major depressive disorder.
As the investigation progresses, the Thomas Crooks family seeks privacy during this difficult time, while the community and nation grapple with the implications of the rally shooting and the unanswered questions surrounding Thomas Matthew Crooks’ motives.
