Northeast
Trump assassination attempt: FBI says gunman's family not alarmed by chemical purchases prior to shooting
PITTSBURGH – The FBI told reporters on Monday that would-be presidential assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks had a long-standing “interest in science” and “experiments,” and as a result, his family “wasn’t concerned” about the myriad packages he was receiving at their house.
Crooks, 20, made 25 gun-related purchases online between spring 2023 and the first half of this year and bought materials used to make explosives six times, all with aliases, according to the agency. On July 13, he opened fire at a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, injuring the former president and two others while killing firefighter Corey Comperatore.
“The shooter had a long interest in science and things like this and had been doing experiments and things like that over a period of time,” said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office. “For that reason, [his family] wasn’t concerned that [the packages] were focused on committing an attack of this nature of harming other people.”
“Anything he was doing was online,” Rojek said. “He wasn’t hoarding ammunition. He wasn’t doing anything that I would say would significantly raise the suspicion of his parents in his home.”
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Thomas Matthew Crooks (Handout via AFP)
Rojek said that “the parents have been extremely cooperative from the first night we approached them.”
“The parents have said in their interviews that they had no advanced knowledge of any of this. We do find that to be credible at this stage but pending additional investigation,” Rojek said. “Again, we’re not ruling any possibility out as far as what was in the home.”
This view shows the home of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on July 15, 2024. (Reuters/Carlos Osorio)
The agency’s revelations come as Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, was spotted on Monday leaving a Pittsburgh office building containing two law firms. He declined to answer reporters’ questions about whether his family spotted warning signs before their son attempted to take the former president’s life.
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Matthew Crooks waits outside an office building where two law firms are located in Pittsburgh on July 29, 2024. He is the father of would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
The FBI said Crooks’ “primary social circle [was] his family.”
“We have identified only a couple people who we would call his friends, and most of those contacts were in fact dated,” Rojek said.
“Even his gaming platforms, we see very little interaction with other individuals, which is obviously outside the norm with what you normally see, particularly in gamers. To date, we have not found anyone that is really close to him in any type of social circle.”
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Matthew Crooks leaves an office building in Pittsburgh on July 29, 2024. He declined to answer questions about whether his family saw warning signs before his son, Thomas Crooks, tried to assassinate former President Trump. (DWS for Fox News Digital)
Rojek said the agency’s behavioral analysis experts believe Crooks was “highly intelligent,” attending college and maintaining steady employment.
“We do still believe that he was a loner as far as his association or any other activities related to his mental state.”
FBI agents said Crooks never sought professional help and was not prescribed medication.
They are continuing to assess Crooks’ social media accounts from different devices.
FBI agents visit the home of would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crook in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. (Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters | AFP)
Crooks had made online searches related to power plants, mass shooting events, information on improvised explosive devices, U.S. elected officials and the attempted assassination of the Slovakian prime minister earlier this year, agents said.
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Three people have died as a result of a house fire earlier this week in Mercer County.
According to the City of Sharon Bureau of Police, a fire on Friday at a home on Sherman Avenue sent four people to the hospital. At the time of the transport, three of the four people taken to the hospital were in critical condition.
On Sunday morning, police said that three victims who were in critical condition died on Saturday evening from the injuries sustained in the fire.
The victims were identified as 38-year-old Sarah Jacobson and two children, Kevin and Izabella Jacobson.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Jacobson family at this time of tragedy,” City of Sharon Chief of Police Edward Stabile said in a statement provided to KDKA-TV.
The fourth victim, according to police, is now listed as being in stable condition.
The fire happened at the home just after midnight on Friday morning, and the cause is still under investigation. Sharon police, along with the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Sharon Fire Department, are all coordinating in the investigation.
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WTNH) – A water main break in Rocky Hill Sunday morning will impact traffic for much of the day on Grimes Road.
According to Rocky Hill Police the break happened at approximately 7:10 a.m. in the area of 40 Grimes Road between Louis Place and Hillside Avenue. Motorists are advised to take alternatee routes and avoid the area.
The Metropolitan District Commission is on scene making repairs which could take up to 8 hours.
BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – Good morning, and Happy Sunday everyone. Skies are on the cloudier side across Maine this morning with scattered showers for much of the state. A couple of breaks in clouds can be found here or there. Temperatures vary throughout the 50s for most, while reaching the 60s and low 70s in Southern Maine as more consistent sunshine is allowing for plenty of heating. Patchy fog remains across a good chunk of the state with some towns under one mile. Winds are on the calmer side this morning.
The morning hours will remain cloudier with showers and patchy fog for many. By the afternoon, showers will continue for most of the state, but will taper off from the NW to SE. This means conditions will dry out with sunshine developing across Northern Maine by the midafternoon. Showers will continue along the interstate until 3-4pm, with sunshine then filtering in by the later evening hours. Coastal locations will experience showers until the later evening hours, with clouds breaking by sunset, allowing for some sun to end the day. High temps today will vary from the upper 50s to low 70s. Dewpoints will become sticky in spots. Winds will be on the lighter side in the morning, before becoming breezy in the afternoon with WSW to NNW gusts reaching 25-35 mph.
Rainfall totals today will vary between a quarter to a half of an inch for most. Some pockets to the northwest, however, will only reach a tenth of an inch to a quarter inch.
Conditions will be quiet tonight. Besides a few clouds and light showers Downeast shortly before sunset, skies will clear with mostly to completely clear conditions and some patchy morning fog. Low temps will reach the low 40s to low 50s with North to NNW gusts remaining a bit breezy, reaching 20-30 mph.
Monday will be a dry day, and in my opinion, the pick of the week. Skies will be sunny with just a few clouds developing later in the evening. High temps will warm up, from the low 70s to low 80s. NNW/SW gusts will remain just a little breezy, reaching 20-25 mph.
Another beautiful day with mostly sunny skies is expected on Tuesday. However, temperatures will really start to warm. Highs will vary from the mid 70s to upper 80s. WNW/SW gusts will only reach 20 mph.
Above average temperatures will carry on Wednesday through Friday with highs throughout the 70s and 80s for most. However, this stretch of days is becoming increasingly unsettled. Showers and thunderstorms look increasingly more likely to develop during the afternoons as some frontal systems pass through. The greatest chance of showers and storms will be Wednesday night through Thursday. More cloud cover is thus expected, so temperatures aren’t looking to peak as high as they were originally expected to reach. Dewpoints will also become sticky towards the end of the work week, reaching into the 60s on Thursday and Friday.
SUNDAY: Highs from upper 50s to low 70s. Cloudier AM with showers. PM showers tapering off from NW to SE. Evening sunshine developing. Slightly sticky dewpoints. WSW to NNW gusts reach 25-35 mph during PM.
MONDAY: Highs from low 70s to low 80s. Sunny skies. A few evening clouds. NNW/SW gusts reach 20-25 mph.
TUESDAY: Highs from mid 70s to upper 80s. Mostly sunny skies. WNW/SW gusts reach 20 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Highs from low 70s to upper 80s. Partly to mostly cloudy AM. Cloudy PM with showers & storms possible. Slightly sticky dewpoints. SW gusts reach 15-20 mph.
THURSDAY: Highs from upper 60s to mid 80s. Partly to mostly cloudy. Showers & storms possible. Sticky dewpoints. South/SW gusts reach 15-20 mph.
FRIDAY: Highs from mid 60s to low 80s. Partly cloudy, few mostly cloudy spots. PM showers/storms possible. Sticky dewpoints. South gusts reach 15-20 mph.
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