Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – Thomas Matthew Crooks’ attempted assassination of former President Trump last week in western Pennsylvania was likely not politically motivated or a random act of violence, a criminal profiler said.
Keith Howard, deputy and criminal analyst for the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, shared with Fox News Digital the behavioral science behind the attempted assassination of Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Howard said Trump’s shooting showed an “organized thinker” rather than a random act of violence.
“While these events may have brought a lot of confusion to what we observed, they were really organized thinkers,” he said. “Don’t think of this as an impulsive act. They don’t typically wake up in the morning and say, ‘My county, my district is going to have a presidential candidate, so I’m going to go over there and try to kill him.
Trump shooter’s former US Politics classmate talks to would-be assassin Thomas Crooks
Undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks. (Obtained by Fox News Digital Channel)
“Anyway, if you look at this type of person and say, ‘Well, he might be a loner or not have a lot of friends or close relationships, but that doesn’t mean he can’t think,’ “He said.
Howard said the FBI investigation may show it was a crime of opportunity.
“If we do this behavioral analysis, if he was looking for something notorious, then when he searched for Trump rallies and the Democratic National Convention, he found one of those would be in his backyard, and now all of his behavior has happened.
“I think some of these things are being evaluated because they [FBI] Collect this information.
A week after Trump gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, two men who appeared to be FBI agents chatted with his neighbor. (Derek Shook, Fox News Digital)
Howard also said it wouldn’t be surprising if the FBI eventually revealed that Crooks had no political motives.
“Let’s look at what history tells us about the events we’re studying, and what does research tell us?” Howard said.
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Howard cited a U.S. Secret Service study conducted in the 1980s that found no information on assassins or assassination attempts.
“You can go from 16 to 60,” he said. “And rarely is mental illness part of it.”
A week after Trump gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, two men who appeared to be FBI agents chatted with his neighbor. (Derek Shook, Fox News Digital)
Howard said the FBI’s behavioral science unit will likely conduct an indirect personality assessment, which involves interviewing as many people as possible who know Crooks through a series of standardized questions.
Experts say questions will focus on Crooks’ previous characteristics and characteristics before taking action against Trump.
“The methodology is, you make sure you ask the same questions to the same people so you get all the answers,” he said. “They will also compare it to the crime scene information they have and begin behavioral construction.
“They will begin to piece together their version of the offender’s behavior,” he added. “Once they get the most information they think they can get, they start to get into the typology of motivations that they think motivate such individuals.”
The home of Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate former President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last week. (Derek Shook, Fox News Digital)
Investigators have obtained Crooks’ cellphone and laptop, according to the FBI. Howard said access to Crooks’ phone and computer would be “enormous” as the investigation unfolds.
“The phone is more closely connected to his thoughts,” he said. “If there were pictures, if there was a plan, it would be huge in terms of understanding what the criminals were doing.
“They can also track geofences,” he said. “I know this is a top priority for the federal government.”
A state police counter-sniper patrols around Laub Hall celebrating the life of Corey Competore on Thursday in Freeport, Pa. The 50-year-old hero was shot and killed by a would-be Trump assassin in Butler. (Derek Shook, Fox News Digital)
Crooks was killed by a sniper on July 13 after opening fire at a Trump rally at the Butler Farm Showgrounds.
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and his classmates revealed that the 20-year-old was “quiet” and had only a few friends, describing him as a “loner”.
A classmate at Bethel Park High School said Crooks was an avid gamer and enjoyed building computers.
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According to records, Crooks is a registered Republican, but his father is a registered Libertarian and his mother is a Democrat.
Investigators have yet to uncover a motive for the assassination attempt.
