Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who fatally shot former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, briefly appeared in a BlackRock ad, the company said Sunday.
BlackRock, the world’s largest money management firm, said in a statement that Crooks was one of several students who appeared in the background of the 2022 ad but was not paid. The company said the ad was shot at Bethel Park High School, where Crooks graduated in 2022, and features the teacher.
The company did not describe the content of the ad but said it would provide footage of the film to authorities and stop distributing it. It also condemned an attack on Saturday that left one attendee dead and two others seriously injured.
“The assassination attempt on former President Trump was abhorrent. We are grateful that former President Trump was not seriously injured and think of all the innocent bystanders and victims of this horrific act, especially those who were killed,” the statement said .
BlackRock reports earnings on Monday. The company has come under scrutiny in the past after shootings in the United States because some of its index funds hold shares in gun manufacturers.
