Trump Gunman Also Looked Up Joe Biden's Event Dates Before Attempted Assassination

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspect who opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Butler County, Pa., on July 13, reportedly also had searches on his phone related to President Joe Biden and his upcoming events.

An investigation into Crooks’ cellphones and other electronic devices found that he searched for images of Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, as well as dates and locations for upcoming appearances for the two presidential candidates, according to The New York Times, CBS News and ABC News.

The 20-year-old also reportedly searched the names of other prominent government figures, including Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, and looked up the dates to the National Democratic Convention, per NYT. 

During his searches, Crooks found that Trump was scheduled to appear in Butler, about 50 miles from his home in Bethel Park, according to the outlet.

Investigators have been trying to access the information on Crooks’ devices in order to find a motive for the shooting and determine if his political views played a role. However, according to the outlets, they were unable to find any indication of his ideologies or political stance.

Though, his previous searches may have provided some insight into his mental state at the time, as he had searched “major depressive disorder,” per CBS News and NYT.

According to NYT, the suspect may have also hinted at the att -

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ack ahead of time by sharing on the gaming platform Steam that he would make his “premiere” on July 13 — which happened to be the date of the shooting. 

After opening fire at Trump’s rally, the Secret Service said Crooks had been "neutralized" and was dead. It was determined that he was located on a roof about 400 feet away from the stage the former president was on.

Trump was injured in the shooting, which killed 50-year-old former fire chief Corey Comperatore and critically wounded two other men: David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.

Trump, who was bloodied and rushed off stage by Secret Service agents, later said he was grazed by a bullet in a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social. The former president said he was "shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear," but stated that he was okay.

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Crooks was not carrying identification at the time of the shooting, but he was identified with DNA, the FBI said,according to CBS.

The Associated Press,ReutersandNYTall reported that Crooks was a registered Republican. He also graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a statement from the school.

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