Trump shooter Thomas Crooks was a 'nice kid' who got 'bullied so much' reveal his former classmates
Thomas Matthew Crooks
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, was identified as theshooter behind the assassination attempt on Republican Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday (Jul 13).
Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service snipers after firing multiple shots at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has been described by his former schoolmates as "quiet" and a "nice kid".
The motive behind Crook's shooting spree remains a mystery, but as per Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, the 20-year-old man "so far" had no indications of any mental health issues.
"Never have thought him capable," of this, says Crook's friend
Talking to CBS News, Crooks' childhood friend Jameson Myers described the Trump shooter as a "nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone," adding "I never have thought him capable of anything I've seen him do in the last few days."
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"When I did speak with him, he just seemed like a normal boy who was not particularly popular but never got picked on or anything," said Myers.
Myers and Crooks, as per the publication, used to be close in elementary school but not in high school. They graduated together.
He also revealed that Crooks, who used a semi-automatic rifle to carry out the failed assassination attempt, had tried out for the Bethel Park High School varsity rifle team in his freshmen year. However,he had failed to make the junior varsity roster.
Middle-class 'lonely' kid
A resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Crooks as per another classmate, Jason Kohler, came across as "lonely" and "socially reserved".
Kohler, as reported by news agencyAFP, revealed that the shooter was "just bullied. He was bullied so much." He said that Crooks was bullied for his hunting and camouflage clothes.
Dan Grzybek, a county council representative in the area where Crooks grew up, called the neighbourhood "pretty firmly middle class, maybe upper-middle class," reported The New York Times.
Crooks, as per the report, was working in a nursing home and the organization expressed shock upon hearing about his shooting at Trump, killing a rally attendee in the process.
(With inputs from agencies)
