Thomas Matthew Crooks, who almost killed Trump, belonged to a shooting club

The 20-year-old gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Trump was a dietitian at a nursing home, a bright student and a member of a gun club.

Thomas Matthew Crooks belonged to a gun club in Clairton, Pennsylvania, less than nine miles from his family home in Bethel Park. Attorney Robert S. Bootay III confirmed to The Times that Crooks, who was shot and killed by Secret Service agents on Saturday, was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club.

“Of course, the club strongly condemns yesterday’s senseless act of violence,” said Bootay, who represents the organization, in a statement. “The club also expresses its sincere condolences to the Comperatore family and prays for all those injured, including the former president.”

Bootay declined further comment, citing the ongoing FBI investigation.

The Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, located on 180 acres south of Pittsburgh, bills itself as offering “one of the best shooting ranges in the tri-state area” and has more than 2,000 members. It offers youth events, archery ranges, safety classes and several shooting ranges, including a high-performance range with targets up to 180 yards away.

BBC News first reported on Crooks’ affiliation with the club.

Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh division, said in a news conference Sunday that Crooks used an AR-556 rifle in the shooting that was legally purchased by his father, Matthew Crooks. The elder Crooks is a licensed counselor in Pennsylvania, according to state and federal records.

Bruce Piendl, a local gun dealer, told Reuters that there are “a lot of gun clubs” in the Bethel Park area. “We have a rich tradition of hunting, fishing and outdoor activities,” he said.

Rojek said authorities found a suspected explosive device in Thomas Matthew Crooks’ car, which was examined and defused by bomb technicians. He said the FBI is continuing to investigate the device.

Rojek said there is no evidence at this point that the shooter has mental health issues, and his social media presence has so far provided no clues about his ideology or motive.

“We continue to review all of his social media accounts and look for potentially threatening language,” Rojek said, “but so far we have not seen any.”

The law enforcement source told the New York Times that Crooks’ social media activity showed that he enjoyed playing chess and video games and was learning programming.

Messaging platform Discord told the Times that it had identified and removed an account that may have belonged to Crooks, citing its “off-platform conduct policies.”

“It was rarely used, hasn’t been used in months, and we have found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident, promote violence, or discuss his political views,” a Discord spokesperson said in a statement. “Discord strongly condemns violence of any kind, including political violence, and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement.”

Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, the Bethel Park School District said in a statement. In a video of the school’s graduation ceremony posted online, Crooks can be seen crossing the stage to receive his diploma. He appears to be of slim build and wears glasses.

In his senior year, Crooks was one of several students who received honors in math and science, according to a Tribune-Review article at the time.

The district said it would “fully cooperate with the active police investigation in this case.”

Jason Kohler, who said he went to the same high school but was not in the same class as Crooks, said Crooks was bullied at school and sat alone at lunch. Other students mocked him for his clothing, such as his hunting clothes, Kohler said.

“He was bullied almost every day,” Kohler told reporters. “He was just an outsider, and you know how kids are these days.”

Jameson Myers, a member of Crooks’ graduating class, told CBS News that Crooks tried to try out for his high school’s rifle team during his freshman year of high school but failed to make the cut.

Myers told the outlet that Crooks was a “nice kid who never talked bad about anyone.”

Crooks worked at a nursing home as a dietitian, a job that typically involves food preparation. Marcie Grimm, the director of Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, said in a statement she was “shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement.” Grimm added that Crooks had no criminal record when he was hired.

Crooks’ political affiliation was not immediately clear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he donated $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Biden was sworn in.

In images of Crooks’ body examined by the Associated Press, he appeared to be wearing a Demolition Ranch T-shirt. The channel is a popular YouTube channel with over 11.6 million subscribers and regularly posts videos in which creator Matt Carriker shoots targets such as human dolls and vehicles with pistols and assault rifles.

Carriker did not immediately respond to The Times’ contact via social media and phone, but he had posted a photo of Crooks’ bloody body on social media wearing his branded T-shirt with the comment, “What the hell.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.