Ex-classmate of Trump rally shooter describes him as "normal boy," rejected from high school rifle team

Washington — The gunman who fired shots at former President Donald Trump at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was rejected from his high school's rifle team, according to a former classmate.

The classmate, Jameson Myers, graduated in 2022 with the gunman, whom the FBI identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, age 20. Myers was a member of the Bethel Park High School varsity rifle team and said he and Crooks were close in elementary school, but not in high school.

Crooks tried out for the rifle team his freshman year, Myers said, but did not make the junior varsity roster. Myers said Crooks did not return to try out for the team for the rest of high school. 

He called Crooks a "nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone," and he said, "I never have thought him capable of anything I've seen him do in the last few days."

"When I did speak with him, he just seemed like a normal boy who was not particularly popular but never got picked on or anything," Myers said. 

Crooks was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. According to law enforcement sources, he was armed with a semiautomatic rifle and suspicious devices were found in his vehicle. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper at the rally. 

Fellow high school classmate Summer Barkley told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA that although Crooks wasn't popular, he still had a group of friends and was a good student beloved by teachers. She said she didn't see any red flags that would lead her to believe he would do something like this.

Another classmate, Jason Koehler, had a somewhat different view, telling KDKA that Crooks as a loner who was bullied for his appearance and wore camo/hunting outfits in class. He said Crooks would often sit in the cafeteria alone before class. He also said Crooks was very COVID-conscious and wore a surgical mask long after they were required. 

But Mark Sigafoos, who graduated with Crooks and had two classes with him senior year, said he never saw him bullied. He described Crooks as super smart and approachable, engaged in class and always volunteering answers. 

"This is one of the things that is being misconstrued — he was not some type of loner trenchcoat wearer. And I will say he was definitely nerdy, for sure, but he never gave off that he was creepy or like a school shooter," Sigafoos said. "He seemed like he wouldn't hurt a fly."

A law enforcement official said early Sunday that the Secret Service and the FBI are investigating the suspect's background and speaking with his family. The FBI has secured his home and federal law enforcement is searching his family's residence in suburban Pittsburgh, the law enforcement official said. 

"We do not currently have an identified motive," said Kevin Rojek, FBI Pittsburgh special agent in charge, at a briefing late Saturday night. 

Trump said in a post to his social media platform that the upper part of his right ear was pierced by a bullet during the attack at his rally in Pennsylvania. He was checked at a local hospital before flying to New Jersey late Saturday night.

One audience member at the rally, Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting, and two other men are in critical condition, officials said. 

Jessica Kegu and Megan Schiller contributed reporting.

In:
• Pennsylvania
• Trump Rally
• Donald Trump

Madeleine May

Madeleine May is an investigative producer at CBS News based in Washington, D.C. She previously covered politics for VICE News and reported on organized crime and corruption for OCCRP. She covers threats to democracy, disinformation, political violence, and extremism.

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