The father of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump, was seen in public Monday for the first time since the July 13 shooting.
Matthew Crooks, 53, was spotted leaving a grocery store in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with an unidentified woman, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday, citing a report from Fox News Digital.
"We just want to try to take care of ourselves right now. Please, just give us our space," Crooks said as he loaded bags of items into his car. He added the family will release a statement when they are advised to do so by their legal counsel, but until then, they have no comment.
Thomas Crooks tried to kill Trump with his father's rifle during a rally July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was grazed in the right ear by a bullet, a member of the crowd was killed, and two others were severely injured. A Secret Service sniper then killed the would-be assassin.
Matthew Crooks, a registered Libertarian, legally purchased the rifle his son used in the attack. He and his wife Mary called police hours before the shooting, saying they were worried about their son's welfare and that he was missing. Matthew Crooks told investigators he thought his son had gone to the local shooting range of which he was a member.
The Crooks family reportedly has been cooperating with the FBI to help discover the shooter's motive, but federal investigators have yet to identify one.
Investigators who searched Thomas Crooks' smartphone reportedly found photos of Trump, President Joe Biden, and other senior government officials. He also looked up the dates for the Democratic and Republican national conventions, as well as Trump's appearances.
The assassination attempt, during which Thomas Crooks was able to climb to the roof of a building 130 yards away from where Trump was speaking to get in position to shoot, led to the resignation Tuesday of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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