By Bernd Debusmann, Tom Bateman and Tom McArthur, BBC News in Pennsylvania and London
CBS NewsThe small Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is in shock after the FBI named a local man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, as the person who killed the young man. Donald Trump shot dead at campaign rally and shocked the nation.
Investigators believe Crooks, armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, opened fire on the former president as he addressed a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one audience member and wounding two others.
The 20-year-old kitchen worker was shot dead at the scene by a Secret Service sniper, authorities said.
But in his affluent hometown, his neighbors are in shock, unable to understand how a quiet young man has now been blamed for the shooting.
The FBI, for its part, has only said that Crooks was the “subject involved in the attempted assassination of the former president and that an active investigation is underway.”
Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks?
Thomas Crooks did not have any identification on him, so investigators used DNA and facial recognition technology to identify him, the FBI said.
He was originally from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 70 km (43 miles) from the scene of the assassination attempt, and graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School with a $500 (£385) award in math and science, according to a local newspaper.
Crooks worked in the kitchen of a local nursing home, a short drive from his home, where staff members said he passed a background check and raised no concerns.
State voter records show he was a registered Republican, according to US media reports.
He also reportedly donated $15 to the liberal campaign group ActBlue in 2021.
He had been a member of a local shooting club, the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, for at least a year, the club confirmed to the BBC.
This large club is located south of Pittsburgh and is “one of the premier shooting centers in the tri-state area” (Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia). It has more than 2,000 members.
It has several shooting ranges, including a high-powered rifle range with targets up to 171 meters away.
Club owner Bill Sellitto told the BBC the shooting was a “terrible, terrible thing”. Access to the club is strictly controlled, with only members allowed inside the sprawling establishment.
“Obviously the club fully condemns this senseless act of violence,” lawyer Robert S Bootay III, who represents the organisation, told the BBC.
Law enforcement officials believe the gun used to shoot Donald Trump, an AR-style rifle, was purchased by Crooks’ father, investigators said.
It is unclear exactly how the gun came into his son’s hands, but there is no indication that the father had any idea what was about to happen.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, two officers told AP that Crooks’ father purchased the gun at least six months ago.
Authorities also say Crooks purchased a box of ammunition containing 50 rounds of ammunition on the day of the rally, reports CBS, the BBC’s U.S. news partner.
According to US media reports, Crooks was wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a YouTube channel known for its content on weapons and demolition. The channel has millions of subscribers and features videos on various weapons and explosive devices.
The day after the shooting, law enforcement sources also told CBS that suspicious devices were found in Crooks’ vehicle.
According to CBS, the suspect had commercially available equipment that appeared capable of triggering the devices.
Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene to secure and investigate the devices.
What was his motivation?
After establishing Crooks’ identity, police and agencies investigate his motive.
“We do not have an identified motive at this time,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said in Pittsburgh during a briefing Saturday night.
The investigation into what happened could last months and investigators will work “tirelessly” to identify Crooks’ motive, Rojek said.
Speaking to CNN, Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out “what’s going on,” but would “wait to talk to law enforcement” before talking about his son.
Crooks’ family is cooperating with investigators, according to the FBI.
Police closed the road leading to the house where Crooks lived with his parents.
A neighbor told CBS that police evacuated her in the middle of the night without warning.
Bethel Park police said a bomb investigation is underway around Crooks’ home.
Access to the area remains strictly controlled, with police vehicles blocking roads. Only residents are allowed to enter or leave.
Law enforcement sources told CBS they believe there was some degree of planning before the shooting.
The time spent on this planning, however, is still the subject of an ongoing investigation.
Police believe he acted alone, but are continuing to investigate whether he was accompanied to the rally.
What kind of person was he?
So far, a confusing – and sometimes contradictory – picture of who Crooks was has emerged.
Speaking to local media outlet KDKA, some local youth who went to school with him described him as a loner, frequently bullied and who sometimes wore “hunting gear to school.”
Another former classmate, Summer Barkley, gave him a different role, telling the BBC that he “always got good grades in exams” and was “very passionate about history”.
“He seemed to know everything about government and history,” she said. “But it was nothing out of the ordinary… he was always kind.”
She described him as someone who was well-liked by his teachers.
Others simply remember him as a quiet person.
“He was there, but I don’t remember anyone who knew him well,” a former classmate who asked not to be named told the BBC. “He’s not really a guy I think of. But he seemed OK.”
Another classmate, who also wished to remain anonymous, described him as “intelligent but a bit weird.”
Staff at Angelo’s Pizza, a restaurant in Bethel Park, told the BBC they knew Crooks.
Restaurant owner Sara Petko said staff members – some of whom were his classmates – thought he was a “loner” but struggled to understand how an otherwise quiet man could become violent.
“It’s just crazy, and it’s too close to be reassuring,” she said. “To think that someone at the very beginning of their life could do that.”
Jameson Myers, a former member of the Bethel Park High School varsity shooting team who graduated alongside Crooks in 2022, told CBS that Crooks did not make the team.
“He didn’t even make the junior team after trying out,” Myers added. “He never tried out for the rest of his high school career.”
Another former classmate told ABC News that he was a “terrible shot” and “wasn’t really a good fit for the rifle team.” The school district said there was no record of Crooks trying out for the team and that he “never appeared on any roster.”
APMr Myers remembers Crooks as a “normal boy” who was “not particularly popular but never bothered or anything”.
“He was a nice boy who never spoke badly of anyone and I never believed him capable of anything I saw him do in recent days.”
Max Smith, who took an American history class with Crooks, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that his former classmate “was definitely conservative.”
Mr. Smith recalled a mock debate they both participated in, saying, “The majority of the class was on the liberal side, but Tom, no matter what, always stayed on the conservative side.”
“I wonder why he would want to make an assassination attempt on the Conservative candidate,” he said.
Other community members simply said they were shocked that the alleged shooter could come from the quiet, tree-lined streets of Bethel Park.
Among them was Jason Mackey, a 27-year-old man who lives near the Crooks’ residence and worked at his school while he was a student.
Although Mr Mackey said he did not know Crooks personally, he is still reeling from a sense of disbelief.
“It’s just shocking. You wouldn’t believe that something of this magnitude could happen right next door,” he said. “It’s a completely crazy situation.”
Who were the victims of the shooting?
One person was killed and two others were injured in the shooting.
All three victims are adult males and were bystanders, CBS News reports.
At a news conference Sunday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro identified the deceased victim as Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer fire chief who was killed while “diving on his family” to protect them.
He said Comperatore “died a hero.”
The two people injured in the attack have been identified as David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
Both men reside in Pennsylvania and are in stable condition.
A GoFundMe page, organized by Trump campaign national finance director Meredith O’Rourke, was created within hours of the attack, with donations going to the families of the injured.
So far the charity has raised more than $340,000 (£267,000).
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was “shot through the top of my right ear” and felt the bullet “tear through the skin.”
Blood was visible on Trump’s ear and face as security officers rushed him away.
Trump is “doing well” and is grateful to law enforcement, according to a statement posted on the Republican National Committee (RNC) website.
He traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday, a day after the shooting, to attend the Republican National Convention.
How far was he from Donald Trump?
A witness told the BBC he saw a man – believed to be Crooks – with a rifle on the roof of a building before Trump was shot.
Video footage obtained by TMZ shows the moment the shooting started.
The attacker opened fire with “an AR-style rifle,” CBS News reports.
Police sources also told CBS that he was flagged down by a passerby and identified as a suspicious person by police, but officers lost sight of him before the shooting began.
A Secret Service sniper returned fire and killed the shooter, authorities said.
Later footage shows armed officers approaching a body on the roof of the building.
