Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was incapable of hitting any target, old rifle team members claim

 

The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during his July 13 rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, has raised questions about the assailant’s proficiency with firearms. Reports reveal that the 20-year-old suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, a local gun range. Despite this, he was not well-known in the community.

Sources indicate that Crooks had previously tried out for the rifle team at Bethel Park High School around 2018-2019 but failed to make the team. According to TMZ, his attempts were reportedly disastrous; he even shot across a different lane during practice. On one occasion, he missed a target 107 feet away, hitting a target belonging to someone else. This incident contributed to his failure to join the team.

A former classmate expressed surprise that Crooks managed to get so close to targeting Trump, noting that despite his initial poor performance, he may have improved his skills significantly since joining the local gun range through his father. It’s possible that his increased practice allowed him to get within close range of the former president.

Crooks was previously unable to hit any of the ten targets on a 10x12 paper during his high school tryouts, and TMZ reported that his poor shooting skills were a subject of mockery among the rifle team members. Contrary to some earlier reports, no one has confirmed that Crooks was bullied, although he was known to be socially awkward and kept to himself.

Sources from the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club described Crooks as virtually unknown before the July 13 incident, with no notable presence at the range. While the club members couldn't verify his frequency of visits, it has been reported that Crooks practiced at Clairton just a day before the attack, using the same AR-15 semi-automatic rifle that he used in the assassination attempt.