Chilling FBI files expose disturbing childhood of Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks

Newly unearthed FBI documents offer a disturbing glimpse into Thomas Matthew Crooks’ troubled childhood before his attempt to assassinate Donald Trump. Crooks’ father told investigators his son was unusually quiet from birth, rarely showed emotion and was difficult for his family to understand. The documents reveal concerns over possible ADHD, social isolation and a shift toward increasingly withdrawn behaviour during his high school years. Crooks also became intensely focused on firearms, spending years practising at a gun club before developing advanced knowledge of shooting. The FBI files also detail his experiments with 3D printing, including an alleged attempt to construct a Glock-style handgun that frightened his father. Crooks ultimately opened fire at Trump’s Butler rally on July 13, 2024, killing one spectator and seriously injuring two others before being killed.