'Easy Target': New Video Shows Trump Shooting Suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks Getting Bullied In School

New video footage has surfaced on the internet showing the gunman who targeted former US President Donald Trump being teased by his peers during high school. The undated video, first shared by TMZ, shows Thomas M. Crooks sitting at his desk while a classmate repeatedly tugs at his trouser leg.

Crooks can be heard telling the classmate to “stop,” as laughter is heard from the person filming. Classmates have revealed that Crooks, who was 20 years old at the time of the shooting, was often the subject of ridicule. According to the UK’s Daily Mail, they referred to him as a “school shooter” and mocked him for his appearance and hygiene.

‘An easy target’

His former classmate Julianna Grooms told the New York Times, “Kids would always say, ‘Hey, look at the school shooter over there!’ They would tease him about his poor hygiene, and his body odor. He was an easy target.” Jim Knapp, Crooks’ former guidance counselor, described him as a loner who preferred solitude. “He just wanted to stay by himself,” Knapp said. “He was a very good student. Not once did he ever get in trouble.”

On Sunday, Crooks made headlines for a violent attack on Trump at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks fired an AR-style weapon from a rooftop, grazing Trump’s ear with a bullet. Moments later, a Secret Service sniper shot and killed Crooks. Media reports later released how Crooks had graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, where he was recognised with a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative.

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Video from the graduation ceremony shows him crossing the stage to applause and receiving his diploma. Federal campaign finance records reveal that Crooks was a registered Republican who, on January 20, 2021, made a $15 donation to the liberal ActBlue political action committee. Pennsylvania public court records show that Crooks had no prior criminal history.

During the Trump campaign rally on Sunday, Crooks opened fire from an elevated position 150 yards away from where Trump was addressing the crowd. Footage of the incident shows Trump reacting as blood poured down his face after at least eight shots were fired in his direction. The crowd panicked, with many fleeing the venue as Secret Service agents moved to protect Trump.

Despite the chaos, Trump emerged from behind the protective agents and raised his fist, before being escorted to safety and taken to a hospital. However, Crooks had killed a member of the crowd and critically injured two others before being killed by the US Secret Service.