The Washington Post/Getty Images/Trump Campaign Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
More information is being reported about Thomas Matthew Crooks and his actions in the hours leading up to his assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
According to USA Today, Crooks worked as a “dietary aide” at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The center is reportedly located “less than a mile” from his family’s home. Earlier this week, the center’s administrator, Marcie Grimm, shared a statement in reaction to Crooks’ attempt to assassinate Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13.
At the time, Grimm explained that she was “shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement.”
Since then, new information has been reported about what Crooks told his boss before the shooting, per CNN.
“I need the day off, I have something important to do,” Crooks reportedly stated, per The Independent.
Both outlets have not disclosed whether Crooks told his boss he needed the day off on Saturday, July 13. Or if his request was shared in the days earlier. Nonetheless, The Independent reports that Crooks explicitly told his co-workers he would see them on Sunday, July 14.
According to CNN, Crooks’ father, Matthew Brian Crooks, believed his son had taken their family’s rifle to the gun range on July 13. Additionally, Matthew believed that his son would return by 1 p.m. that afternoon.
However, when 11 p.m. arrived that evening, Matthew reported his son missing.
Meanwhile, hours earlier, Thomas had reportedly stopped at Home Depot. Additionally, he purchased a ladder at the store before driving to Butler, per USA Today. Crooks reportedly parked his over a hundred car yards away from the event before using the ladder to climb up on a roof with an “AR-15-style gun.”
The outlet reports that a crowd tried to warn authorities of Crooks’ presence. However, the 20-year-old was able to fire “at least five shots.” One shot grazed Donald Trump’s right ear, while another killed 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, and others injured two more individuals, per The Shade Room.
CNN notes that after the shooting, “multiple law enforcement sources” reported that there was “a bulletproof vest, three fully-loaded magazines, and two remote-controlled explosive devices in Crooks’ car.”
The outlet reports that investigators remain uncertain whether Crooks intended to use the items after he escaped the shooting.
At this time, investigators are still investigating Crooks’ motive for the shooting. Meanwhile, former classmates of the 20-year-old have come forward to speak about his character amid footage surfacing of him seemingly being bullied in high school.
