Thomas Matthew Crooks' father breaks silence following shooting at Trump rally
BUTLER, Pa. - Thomas Matthew Crooks’ father was seen in public Monday for the first time since his 20-year-old son opened fire at a rally for Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania – leaving one man dead, and the former president and two others injured.
Fox News Digital caught up with the man a neighbor and employee at a local business identified as Crooks' father. He declined to answer questions when approached.
"We're going to release a statement when our legal counsel advises us to do so – until then, we have no comment," he told Fox News Digital before beginning to load items into the vehicle. "We just want to try to take care of ourselves right now. Please, just give us our space."
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FOX News Digital previously reported that Crooks' parents, Matthew and Mary, called police hours before the shooting, telling police their son was missing and they were concerned for his well-being. Authorities have not said to this point if his parents knew he was in possession of an AR-15 that was registered to his father.
The Crooks' family have cooperated with the FBI investigation as they continue to try to pin down a motive for the assassination attempt. Several questions remain in the wake of the shooting, including how Crooks was able to evade security and climb atop a nearby roof where he fired shots towards rally goers and the former president.
An undated image of Thomas Matthew Crooks. (Handout via AFP)
Crooks, who earned an associates degree in engineering from the Community College of Allegheny County earlier this year, was killed by a sniper perched on another roof. A motive for the shooting remains unclear.
A former classmate of Crooks told Fox News Digital the killer had confronted him years earlier about his support for Trump and expressed a "smug" dislike for politicians.
Crooks' online searches before the shooting included dates and times of the Democratic and Republican national conventions, photos of Trump and President Biden, and major depressive disorder.