Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate Donald J. Trump on Saturday, was kicked out of his high school shooting club for being a “terrible shot” and “not the greatest person.”
Crooks, 20, killed a Trump supporter and wounded two others while grazing Trump’s ear during a rally, and according to former classmates, he has a terrible record with shooting accuracy. Per the New York Post:
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A few years ago, Crooks tried out for the rifle team at Bethel Park High School, two former schoolmates told The Post.
The shooting range at the school is 50 feet long by 21 feet wide, with seven ranges.
Crooks once fired from the seventh lane — the closest lane to the right wall — and hit the left wall, completely missing every target on the back wall. He missed his target by close to 20 feet, Murphy recalled.
Murphy described Crooks as a “comically bad shot.” Another classmate told the Post that Crooks sometimes wore hunting outfits to class, however he “couldn’t shoot at all.”
“He was a terrible shot,” the classmate said. “Our old coach was a stickler, he trained Navy marksmen, so he knew people. He knew when someone’s not the greatest person.”
“We noticed a few things Thomas said and how he interacted with other people … He said some things that were kind of concerning,” the classmate added. “You know, obviously, we’re using guns in a school setting so you need to be very careful in that regard.”
Without explaining further, the classmate said that Crooks made “some crass jokes that weren’t appropriate when there are firearms in the school setting.”
The FBI is still reporting that Crooks’ motives carrying out an assassination attempt on the former president remain unknown at this time.
The bureau also claims it is having trouble cracking Crooks’ phone.
