The FBI identified the shooter, who is dead, as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. A motive wasn't clear.

The FBI identified the shooter, who is dead, as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. A motive was not clear.

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Bethel Park is a predominantly white, relatively well-to-do city in the southern reaches of greater Pittsburgh. The site of the rally, Butler, is about an hour’s drive north of Pittsburgh.

Pennsylvania voter records listed a Thomas Matthew Crooks with the same address and birth date as a registered Republican, though it was not clear from the records when that was put in place.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    335·
    2 months ago

    I guarantee you that MAGA people will claim that he registered as a Republican as part of a big conspiracy that involves Biden personally sending him to kill Trump (which they won’t realize is arguably acceptable unless he is impeached and removed from office according to SCOTUS).

    • jeffw@lemmy.worldM
      232·
      2 months ago

      Already came out that he donated to a liberal group once. They will latch onto that

      • takeda@lemmy.world
        14·
        2 months ago

        Yeah, single donation of $15 on January 20th, 2021 for voter turnout PAC.

        You don’t think he was one of the Republicans that were outraged after January 6th?

        Everything we know about him so far, screams “libertarian”.

        • jeffw@lemmy.worldM
          51·
          2 months ago

          Dad and sister are registered libertarians. Mom is a registered dem. Take from that what you will. I’m sure we’ll learn more about him in the coming days and weeks.

            • jeffw@lemmy.worldM
              2·
              2 months ago

              It’s a party in the USA? You can register to any party lol

              Shit, you can put in your own “other” and handwrite in whatever BS you want in PA. I’ve read through voter rolls and people write in shit like “Birthday Party”

        • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
          2·
          2 months ago

          Yeah, it doesn’t matter if he donated or not. He’s a deep state operative or RINO, or a secret librul, or you name it.

      • NJSpradlin@lemmy.world
        61·
        2 months ago

        Even that is speculative, from many different commenters. There’s belief that that donation was from someone else with the same name. Take it as you will, but we need to speak less as ‘fact’ right now when the water is this muddy.

      • SeaJ@lemm.ee
        1·
        2 months ago

        They already latched on to spouting BS that about him attending BLM protests and going all the way cross the country to Seattle to come to CHOP.