More than two years after a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, targeting then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, investigators have uncovered new information about the man behind the attack.
The latest revelations provide a closer look at Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old Pennsylvania man who fired eight rounds from a rooftop during Trump's July 13, 2024, campaign rally. The attack killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore and wounded two other people, while one bullet grazed Trump's ear. Crooks was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper shortly after opening fire.
Now, newly disclosed information is bringing attention to previously unknown aspects of Crooks' preparations, including the use of an alias, online purchases involving firearm components, and evidence of a growing fascination with weapons.
The new details do not, however, establish that Crooks was working with another person or political organization. Investigators have continued to examine his background, digital activity and preparations in an effort to understand why he carried out the attack.
A New Look at Thomas Crooks
Crooks was identified by the FBI shortly after the Butler shooting. At the time, federal investigators described the incident as an attempted assassination of Donald Trump and launched an extensive investigation into Crooks' background, communications, movements and possible motive.
The FBI searched his home and vehicle, examined electronic devices and conducted interviews with people who knew him or witnessed his actions.
In the months that followed, investigators struggled to establish a clear motive.
That mystery remains one of the most striking elements of the case.
Crooks left no widely accepted explanation for why he decided to target Trump. Investigators examined political activity, online behavior, firearms purchases, foreign connections and other possible explanations.
The FBI previously stated that it had not identified a motive or co-conspirators and had found no indication that Crooks had been directed by a foreign entity.
The newly reported information adds more pieces to that complicated picture.
The “Bob Dole” Alias
One of the most unusual revelations concerns the name Crooks reportedly used when making certain online purchases.
According to newly reported information, Crooks had items delivered under the name “Bob Dole.”
The name belonged to the late Republican senator and 1996 presidential candidate Bob Dole, although there is no evidence that the use of the name represented a political connection to him.
Instead, investigators are examining the alias as part of a broader picture of how Crooks obtained materials while attempting to keep aspects of his activities less obvious.
The use of an alias is particularly significant because investigators have been trying to reconstruct Crooks' preparation for the attack step by step.
Every purchase, communication and movement can potentially help investigators determine when his interest in weapons developed into preparations for violence.
According to Reuters' reporting, investigators also found that Crooks purchased tools from Amazon that could be used to modify his rifle and increase its capacity.
That information does not by itself establish when Crooks decided to attack Trump.
But it provides another piece of evidence showing that his interest in firearms went beyond simply owning a gun.
His Growing Obsession With Firearms
Newly disclosed federal records reportedly describe an increasingly intense interest in guns and shooting.
According to records reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Crooks' fascination with firearms began developing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His interest reportedly progressed over time.
What initially appeared to be limited shooting ability developed into more advanced firearms knowledge and marksmanship. Investigators also found evidence that he experimented with firearm-related technology, including 3D printing.
His father, Matthew Crooks, reportedly told investigators that Thomas frequently discussed guns.
In the period before the attack, his behavior also raised concerns within his family.
According to information reported from federal documents, his father noticed that Thomas could behave unusually while cleaning firearms and that the family had changed the combination on a gun safe because of concerns about his access to weapons.
Yet on the morning of the attack, his father reportedly allowed him access to a rifle because he believed Thomas intended to go shooting.
That decision would become one of the most consequential moments in the timeline of the Butler attack.
A Rifle, a Rooftop and Eight Shots
On July 13, 2024, Crooks traveled to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump was scheduled to speak.
Investigators later reconstructed a timeline showing that Crooks spent time surveying the area before Trump took the stage.
He was able to position himself on the roof of the American Glass Research building, less than 200 yards from Trump's location.
From there, he had a direct line of sight toward the stage.
The Senate investigation reported that Crooks fired eight rounds at approximately 6:11 p.m.
One round struck Trump in the ear.
Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief who was attending the rally, was killed.
Two other people were also wounded.
Secret Service counter-sniper personnel then shot and killed Crooks.
The entire sequence unfolded within seconds.
Yet the investigation that followed would last far longer.
The Warning Signs Before the Shooting
One of the most controversial aspects of the case has been what law enforcement knew before Crooks began shooting.
Investigators and congressional committees have examined communications between local police and the Secret Service.
Previously released records indicated that law enforcement personnel had noticed a suspicious individual before the shooting.
Other investigations have found significant communication and security failures surrounding the rally.
A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report released in 2026 found that the Secret Service failed to receive 102 radio communications from local law enforcement concerning the gunman. The report concluded that the communication breakdown contributed to security failures at the event.
That issue is separate from the question of Crooks' personal motive.
But it remains an important part of understanding how he was able to reach a rooftop with a clear view of the presidential candidate.
The Drone and Rangefinder
Crooks' preparations also reportedly involved surveillance of the rally site.
A congressional investigation found that he flew a drone near the event and used a rangefinder to measure the distance to Trump's position.
Those actions suggest that he was not simply acting spontaneously once the rally began.
Investigators have reconstructed evidence indicating that he spent time studying the location.
The Senate report also documented explosive devices found in connection with the attack.
These discoveries have intensified questions about how much preparation went into the operation and when Crooks made the decision to carry it out.
Still, preparation does not automatically answer the question of motive.
A person can plan an attack without leaving behind a clear ideological explanation.
That is precisely what has made the Crooks case so difficult for investigators to fully explain.
What Was His Motive?
This remains one of the biggest unanswered questions.
The FBI has previously said it had not identified a definitive motive.
Investigators explored political beliefs, online behavior, foreign connections and personal history.
They also investigated whether someone else had encouraged or directed Crooks.
The FBI stated publicly that it had not identified co-conspirators or associates with advance knowledge of the attack and had not found evidence that Crooks was directed by a foreign entity.
Later reporting indicated that investigators ultimately concluded that Crooks acted alone.
But “acting alone” and “having a clear motive” are not the same thing.
A person can carry out an attack independently while investigators remain uncertain about exactly what psychological, personal or ideological factors drove the decision.
That distinction is important when interpreting the newest revelations.
Politics May Not Explain Everything
Crooks' political background has generated considerable attention.
Reports have noted that he was registered as a Republican while also having made a political donation to a Democratic-aligned organization when he was younger.
That combination has made it difficult to place him neatly into a conventional political category.
Investigators have therefore been cautious about assigning a simple ideological explanation to his actions.
The available evidence does not establish that the attack was ordered by a political party or campaign.
Nor does the newly reported evidence prove a broader political conspiracy.
Instead, the emerging picture is of a young man whose interest in firearms became increasingly intense while his personal intentions remained largely hidden from those around him.
Why the New Information Matters
The latest revelations matter because they add detail to the timeline of Crooks' preparations.
The alias.
The online purchases.
The firearm modification tools.
The growing interest in shooting.
The use of surveillance equipment.
The drone.
The rangefinder.
The rooftop.
Each detail provides another piece of a puzzle investigators have been trying to reconstruct since July 2024.
But the pieces do not automatically produce a complete explanation.
For example, purchasing firearm components does not necessarily reveal the exact date Crooks decided to attack Trump.
Likewise, using an alias does not prove that he was part of an organized network.
The evidence has to be considered in context.
His Family Was Shocked
Perhaps one of the most disturbing elements of the investigation is how little Crooks' family appeared to understand about his intentions.
His father reportedly knew that his son had developed a serious interest in guns.
There were concerns about his behavior.
But there was no publicly known warning that clearly revealed his plan to assassinate a presidential candidate.
That gap between what family members observed and what Crooks ultimately did remains one of the most difficult aspects of the case.
It raises a broader question that investigators have confronted repeatedly in mass-violence cases:
How can someone spend months or years developing dangerous interests without those around them realizing what is happening?
There is rarely a simple answer.
The Investigation Continues to Shape the Story
The Butler shooting has also become a case study in presidential security.
Separate investigations have focused heavily on the Secret Service and local law enforcement.
Questions have been raised about communications, surveillance, positioning of personnel and the protection of the rally site.
The security failures are important because they explain how Crooks was able to gain access to a rooftop overlooking the stage.
But those failures do not explain why Crooks chose Trump as his target.
That question remains distinct.
The FBI's original investigation focused on identifying the shooter, determining his motive and discovering whether anyone else knew about or assisted with the plan.
A Case Still Filled With Questions
More than two years after the Butler shooting, the public now knows significantly more about Thomas Crooks than it did immediately after the attack.
Investigators have learned more about his weapons interests, his online purchases, his movements and his preparation.
The newly reported use of the “Bob Dole” alias and the purchase of tools associated with firearm modification provide additional insight into how Crooks operated before the attack.
But some of the biggest questions remain unanswered.
Why did he choose Trump?
When exactly did he decide to carry out the attack?
Did he have a specific political or personal objective?
Why did he leave so little evidence explaining his intentions?
And could earlier intervention have prevented the shooting?
The available evidence does not provide definitive answers to all of these questions.
What it does show is a young man whose interest in firearms became increasingly serious, who carried out extensive preparations, and who ultimately reached a position from which he could attack a presidential candidate.
The shooting itself lasted only seconds.
Understanding how Thomas Crooks arrived at that rooftop has taken investigators years.
And as additional records continue to emerge, the story of the Butler assassination attempt may become more detailed — even if the central mystery surrounding Crooks' motive remains unresolved.
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