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Washington — The gunman who fired pictures at former President Donald Trump at his marketing campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was rejected from his highschool’s rifle workforce, in line with a former classmate.
The classmate, Jameson Myers, graduated in 2022 with the gunman, whom the FBI recognized as Thomas Matthew Crooks, age 20. Myers was a member of the Bethel Park Excessive Faculty varsity rifle workforce and stated he and Crooks have been shut in elementary faculty, however not in highschool.
Crooks tried out for the rifle workforce his freshman yr, Myers stated, however didn’t make the junior varsity roster. Myers stated Crooks didn’t return to check out for the workforce for the remainder of highschool.
He referred to as Crooks a “good child who by no means talked poorly of anybody,” and he stated, “I by no means have thought him able to something I’ve seen him do in the previous couple of days.”
“After I did communicate with him, he simply appeared like a traditional boy who was not significantly widespread however by no means bought picked on or something,” Myers stated.
Crooks was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. In keeping with regulation enforcement sources, he was armed with a semiautomatic rifle and suspicious units have been present in his automobile. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper on the rally.
Fellow highschool classmate Summer time Barkley instructed CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA that though Crooks wasn’t widespread, he nonetheless had a bunch of mates and was scholar beloved by lecturers. She stated she did not see any purple flags that might lead her to consider he would do one thing like this.
One other classmate, Jason Koehler, had a considerably completely different view, telling KDKA that Crooks as a loner who was bullied relentlessly for his look and wore camo/looking outfits in school. He stated Crooks would usually sit within the cafeteria alone earlier than class. He additionally stated Crooks was very COVID-conscious and wore a surgical masks lengthy after they have been required.
A regulation enforcement official stated early Sunday that the Secret Service and the FBI are investigating the suspect’s background and talking together with his household. The FBI has secured his residence and federal regulation enforcement is looking his household’s residence in suburban Pittsburgh, the regulation enforcement official stated.
“We don’t presently have an recognized motive,” stated Kevin Rojek, FBI Pittsburgh particular agent in cost, at a briefing late Saturday evening.
Trump stated in a publish to his social media platform that the higher a part of his proper ear was pierced by a bullet in the course of the assault at his rally in Pennsylvania. He was checked at a neighborhood hospital earlier than flying to New Jersey late Saturday evening.
One viewers member on the rally, Corey Comperatore, was killed within the taking pictures, and two different males are in important situation, officers stated.
Megan Schiller contributed reporting.
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