Staff Reports
In the strange and alarming saga surrounding Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old who apparently took an interest in bomb-making at the tender age of 15, there’s enough bewilderment to keep even the most seasoned true crime aficionados scratching their heads. Crooks recently drove to Butler County, Pennsylvania, armed with homemade explosives and a recently purchased AR-15, purportedly with the intention of assassinating former President Donald Trump during a rally on July 13. The end of Crooks’ story arrived abruptly, as a quick-thinking Secret Service sniper intervened before he could fulfill his twisted ambitions.
Questions arise around the bizarre ingenuity of Crooks—he built bombs but opted to engage in an old-fashioned shootout instead. One is left wondering whether he truly thought things through or if his plans were akin to a kid playing make-believe with a box of fireworks and a cap gun. The Secret Service had little patience for this amateur hour; in a matter of moments, Crooks was put out of his deranged misery before any real harm could be done. An eye-roll-worthy twist to this whole situation is that a bullet even grazed Trump’s ear, adding insult to injury for an assassin who clearly acted out of a motive as muddled as his online search history.
What we now know and still don't know about Trump's would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks – https://t.co/9w1zEFXvcm – @washtimes @lindsemcpherson
— S.A. Miller (@samillertimes) September 11, 2024
The FBI has pinballed between theories and findings while investigating Crooks. They describe him as a classic loner, unsuitable for even conventional villainy. Crooks used his parents for cover while online shopping for bomb-making materials, purchasing everything from ammonium nitrate to blasting caps under various aliases. Investigators have dissected nearly 1,000 interviews and scoured hours of security footage, trying to find some correlation between this young individual’s seemingly random political leanings and his attempt on Trump’s life. A journey through Crooks’ browsing history might indicate a hodgepodge of interest in both Trump and Biden, which should surprise no one about today’s generation glued to their screens, seemingly unable to pick a side.
What adds just a hint of absurdity to this tragedy is Crooks’ last hurrah. Just days before the rally, he was found testing his AR-15 at a local range and scoping out the rally site, which sounds more like a scene crafted for a bad action flick than reality. Somehow, with self-described “care,” he attempted to complete his mission from the roof of an adjacent building, suggesting he misjudged his status as an effective sniper. He made himself easily identifiable, leading local police to flag him moments before the assassination attempt began. One can’t help but think that if Crooks had spent as much time honing his shooting tactics as he had planned his attack, perhaps he could have avoided this embarrassing failure.
Adding to this weird cocktail of social dysfunction, Crooks’ high school life instead paints a picture of a quiet kid who seemed to have it together academically. However, he was reportedly a bit socially awkward. Former classmates argue about whether he was bullied or if he was merely shy and insular. It seems his academic success didn’t exactly translate into social butterfly status, making it difficult to attribute any motive to being spurred on by external conflicts. Judging from his donations to a Democratic group and online posts displaying erratic viewpoints, he looks more like a confused kid caught in the whirlwind of a politically charged climate than a full-fledged extremist. Crooks needed a good talking to more than he needed a rifle.
Now, as the dust settles, the aftermath raises critical debates about mental health and gun control. It is hard to avoid the perception that Crooks’ parents may have been misled by a mix of youthful experimentation and a lack of open communication. The reality is more nuanced than just blaming a gun; it involves societal pressures and personal struggles wrapped up in a world fixated on identity politics. Meanwhile, those who lean left would have you believe the narrative that all violence is spawned from the right. Yet, in this case, it appears that a young man’s mental health got the best of him, regardless of his political affiliations.
When all is said and done, Crooks’ tale serves as a cautionary one, infusing a mix of wild conspiracy, confused motives, and a dash of social commentary on America’s youth. Thankfully, a capable Secret Service sniper ultimately kept the circus act from progressing to a bloody finale, suggesting that the guardians of our former president remain ever vigilant, even when faced with the most absurd threats.
