An ex-classmate of Thomas Matthew Crooks said the would-be assassin once called him "stupid" for supporting former President Donald Trump, Fox News reported in an exclusive. The 20-year-old was shot and killed by law enforcement after shooting at Trump during a rally.
Former Bethel Park High School classmate Vincent Taormina said that Crooks spoke about his hatred for all politicians during the 2016 election. "He just did not like politicians, especially with the choices that we had. He did not like our politicians," Taormina said.
This may shed light on a possible motive for Crooks, who was identified as the gunman who shot at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday. The bullet took off a chunk of the former president's right ear, narrowly missing the former president's skull.
Unfortunately, Crooks bullets managed to kill 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a Trump supporter and father of two, and critically wounded two others. Before the shooting, Crooks had no history of mental illness or criminal activity.
Taormina said that Crooks, who was usually introverted, would become "smug [and] arrogant" when discussing subjects like math and politics. "He would just talk, talk and act like he knew everything, especially politics related, and he would say it in a tone that was like, 'I'm better than you,' in a type of way," Taormina said.
The classmate recalled a particular discussion with Crooks in English class during the 2016 election. Taormina shared that he supported Trump over his potential Democratic rivals, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"I brought up the fact that I'm Hispanic and, you know, I'm for Trump. And he said, 'Well, you're Hispanic, so shouldn't you hate Trump?'" Taormina said.
"No. He's great. He was a great president. He called me stupid – or insinuated that I was stupid," the former classmate said of Crooks.
It's still unknown what the killer's exact motive was for attempting to assassinate the Republican presidential candidate. The FBI has recovered Crooks' cellphone and laptop and is conducting interviews to learn more about the late gunman.
Taormina said that the media has it all wrong when it comes to painting Crooks as a loner. While he was typically a shy and quiet student, Taormina said media reports of hin being a loner are wrong as Crooks had a few friends from school.
However, the former classmate admitted that those friends were other individuals who were seen as mentally unstable and the "type" that could become school shooters. "They were definitely the type, and they did, make threats to shoot up our school," he said.
Taormina said these were unconfirmed rumors, and there is no indication that these suspicions were ever confirmed. However, classmates noted that Crooks would not return to school for a few days after those threats were made.
"Everybody, anybody who knew him-knew him, should have seen something. They should have known something was up, and I know it's kind of easy to hide, but people are going to get their affairs in order before they do something that's bold and this drastic, and nobody saw it? And why?" Taormina said.
It's still a mystery who Crooks really was or what his possible motives might have been. However, it's clear that this isn't a simple cut-and-dry narrative that leftists were hoping for in the end.
