Thomas Crooks, the man who shot former President Donald Trump, legally purchased the weapon from his father, FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers on Capitol Hill on July 24.
“We believe, based on what we’ve seen, that his father, after purchasing the gun, legally sold the gun to his son,” Mr. Wray told members of the House Judiciary Committee in Washington.
The shooter’s father, Matthew Crooks, bought the gun, an AR-style rifle, in 2013 and sold it to his son in October 2023, according to the FBI.
Thomas Crooks was shot dead by law enforcement authorities in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 after authorities say he fired multiple shots at former President Trump, striking the former president and three others. One of the four died.
After the shooting, FBI agents found a total of 14 guns “associated with the shooter and his family,” Mr. Wray testified.
The FBI’s director also confirmed that Thomas Crooks’ parents reported him missing.
“My recollection, though, is that they didn’t call until, this was after the, I think this was after the event, but I’m not certain of that, so I want to hedge on that slightly,” Mr. Wray said.
He said that the shooter indicated to his father that he was going to a shooting range.
“And then of course he did not go to the range and he did not come back from that,” Mr. Wray said. “And so I think that may have added to the level of concern.”
Authorities say Thomas Crooks searched online on July 6 for upcoming appearances of former President Trump, went to the Butler rally site later that day, and traveled to a shooting range on July 12.
They say he went to the site of the Butler rally on the morning of the rally, left to buy ammunition for the rifle, and returned to fly a drone at approximately 3:50 p.m.
He ultimately climbed on top of the roof of the nearby American Glass Research building and fired multiple shots before being neutralized, according to Mr. Wray and other officials.
Investigators have uncovered no evidence so far to suggest the shooter had any accomplices, Mr. Wray said.
“From everything we’ve seen—which is consistent with what we’ve learned in interviews—a lot of people describe him as a loner, and that does kind of fit with what we’re seeing in his devices,” he said.
Thomas Crooks had images of both former President Trump and President Joe Biden on his phone, the FBI has said.
Agents are still searching trying to establish a motive for the assassination attempt, Mr. Wray said.
He said that Thomas Crooks was a “fairly avid shooting enthusiast.”
The suspect may have “informally attended a practice, took a shot, and never returned,” but the school does not “have any record of that happening,” the district said.
District officials also said that Thomas Crooks “excelled academically, regularly attended school, and had no disciplinary incidents, including those related to bullying or threats.”
