Days After Shooting, Thomas Crooks’ Motives Remain a Mystery

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Days after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the motives behind would-be assassin Thomas Crooks’ action remain a mystery.

For Context: Crooks appears to have left a very light digital footprint, and so far there has been no release of info regarding a suicide note or writings that may point to potential motives.

Cellphone: The Associated Press (Lean Left bias) reported speaking to a law enforcement official who said his cellphone, which authorities have retrieved, has not lent any meaningful clues related to the motive or possible accomplices. 

Gaming Platforms: Earlier, a now-debunked report spread suggesting Crooks left a foreboding message on the gaming platform Steam before the shooting, however, CNN (Lean Left bias) is now reporting it as false. Crooks allegedly spent time on the gaming platform Discord, but the company said it found “no evidence that it was used to plan this incident, promote violence, or discuss his political views.”

Search History: The New York Times (Lean Left bias) reported that Crooks’ recent search history included both Presidents Biden and Trump and the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. It also reported that he could have scoped out the site six days before the rally. Fox News (Right bias) wrote that FBI director Chris Wray told Congress he also searched for “major depressive disorder.”

Peer Reviews: Reuters (Center bias) reported speaking to some of Crooks’ classmates and university faculty who described him as various things, including thoughtful, quiet, and polite.

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After three days, an enigmatic portrait emerged of the 20-year-old man who came close to killing former President Donald Trump with a high-velocity bullet: He was an intelligent loner with few friends, an apparently thin social media footprint and no hints of strong political beliefs that would suggest a motive for an attempted assassination.

Thomas Crooks was pacing next to a warehouse building outside the Butler Farm Show grounds as a crowd gathered for one of former President Donald Trump's signature outdoor rallies.

Crooks had already been flagged as suspicious by law enforcement. By the time two police officers walked over to check him out, he was on the roof, belly crawling.

“He’s got a gun,” a bystander yelled.

The Trump rally shooter searched "major depressive disorder" before he nearly killed the former president, FBI director Chris Wray told Congress, according to reports.

Investigators uncovered the medical search on Thomas Matthew Crooks' cellphone, along with the times and dates of the Democratic and Republican national conventions and photos of Trump and President Biden, The New York Times reported. 

Crooks appears to be on good terms with his parents, who are both counselors, but they weren't part of his daily life, according to The Times.