The parents of Trump shooter Thomas Crooks have lawyered up as the FBI investigates whether the family knew anything about Crooks’ plans.
A family member who asked not to be named told DailyMail.com that the FBI “still very much has questions” about how much the parents knew of their son’s plans to shoot Mr. Trump at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month. The shooter’s father, Matthew Crooks, is a gun enthusiast who has sold guns to family members in the past.
The family member said the FBI questions how Crooks “slipped through the net.”
The Crooks family has hired Quinn Logue, a Pittsburgh-based law firm. Its website says the firm’s areas of practice include personal injury, wrongful death and legal malpractice.
Crooks, 20, fired shots at former President Donald Trump with an AR-style rifle from a rooftop while the GOP nominee was speaking at the rally. A bullet grazed Mr. Trump’s ear, while one man was killed and two others were wounded. Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Reports have revealed that Crooks researched mass shooters before the Trump rally, and had a screenshot of Mr. Trump on his phone. He also had looked up President Biden and the Democratic National Convention schedule, suggesting it didn’t matter to him who he was shooting.
The FBI had removed 14 firearms from the Crooks home as well as explosives, a second cell phone, a laptop and a hard drive. In Crooks’ possession, they found a bullet-proof vest, additional magazines and a drone.
The Washington Times has reached out to the FBI and the law firm for comment.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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