New Delhi: Amid the ongoing investigation into the assassination attempt on the US president Trump, an old video has surfaced on social media showing 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks being bullied by his classmates. In the undated video footage, Crooks is seated at his desk while classmates forcibly pull down his pants.
Crooks, a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, fired an AR-15 rifle at former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler on July 13. The 20-year-old was shot and killed by US Secret Service snipers following the attack.
Note: Republic World could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
If reports are to be believed, Crooks excelled in math and science during his school years. Described as ‘quiet’ by former classmates, he tended to keep to himself. According to Jason Kohler, a fellow student, Crooks was “bullied—he was bullied a lot.”
Who Was Thomas Matthew Crooks?
Thomas Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, as reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He was recognized with a $500 “star award” from the National Math and Science Initiative.
A video of the 2022 graduation ceremony, highlighted by the New York Times, shows Crooks receiving his diploma amid applause. In the footage, he is seen wearing glasses and a black graduation gown, posing with a school official.
Trump Assassination Bid
Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania, that caused chaos, with a bloodied Trump being quickly surrounded by Secret Service agents and rushed into his vehicle. Armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, Crooks fired at Trump during his speech in Butler, resulting in one audience member being killed and two others injured.
Conspiracy Theories Surrounding the Trump Rally Shooting
Despite Trump calling it an “assassination attempt,” conspiracy theories quickly emerged, with some claiming the incident was staged. On X, false information and rumours about the shooting began spreading just minutes after it occurred.
The video of the incident went viral almost immediately, amassing millions of views. The term “staged” quickly surged to become the second-highest trending topic, right after “Trump,” with over 228,000 posts using the term.
Within an hour, numerous posts on X alleging that the shooting was a setup accumulated several million views. However, there is no evidence to support these claims—the visible injuries sustained by Trump and the fact that one spectator was killed and another injured contradict the staged narrative.
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