Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was rejected from his high school rifle team for being a 'terrible shot': Would-be assassin was considered 'dangerous' and made 'concerning' jokes about guns

Daily Mail UK ^ | July 14, 2023 | Stephen M. Lepore

[Morgana]

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old would-be assassin who shot Donald Trump, was once rejected from his high school rifle club and considered a danger.

The registered Republican and 2022 high school graduate opened fire at the former president with an AR-style rifle from a roof 130 yards from the rally stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday at 6.15pm.

Now, disturbing anecdotes have emerged from those who knew Crooks dating back to his days at Bethel Park High School.

Crooks tried out for the school's rifle team but was turned away because he was a bad shooter, said Frederick Mach, a current captain of the team who was a few years behind Crooks at the school.

Jonathan Myers, a member of the team around the time Crooks auditioned, said there was something ominous about him back then.

He didn't just not make the team, he was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was, it was considered like, dangerous,' Myers told ABC News.

Fellow classmate Jameson Murphy added: 'He tried out…and was such a comically bad shot he was unable to make the team and left after the first day.'

Murphy told the New York Post that Crooks once fired a shot that missed his target by almost 20 feet.

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.

Others who were on the team said Crooks would make inappropriate jokes and overall, didn't seem right.

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TOPICS: Education
KEYWORDS: assassinationattempt; banglist; crooks; dailyclickbait; thomasmatthewcrooks; trump; trumpshooter

[Karliner]

It’s too easy an answer, another lone wolf ahat saw all the flaws, climbed a building, people ignoring the calls of a man with a gun over there, stretching out, firing, nary a plan. And all of a sudden the FBI finds explosives in his home?

It all stinks.
But again, after the lies and forced fears of the pandemic and Trumpers kidnapping Witmer I only find truth in the Bible these days

[reasonisfaith]

Whoever they got was thwarted by God Almighty.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Yep. 150 yards is a chip shot.

[bort]

This guy looks trans.

[rodguy911]

There are so many holes in this entire story it just wreaks of the company doing what they do best chaos.

[rodguy911]

we will let you know when we find out....

[rodguy911]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/509b2c6039c18c66e53cc2507c396c3a/tumblr_inline_nskasaBjRD1shsvef_500.gifv

just a guess but who knows.....

[rodguy911]

One of the questions I have is how smart was this kid? he had won two awards for being brilliant. If it was the same kid that shot the president than his shooting in the gun club in high school was all BS. He missed on purpose. No one goes from missing by 20 feet to not missing at all. It’s too much of a stretch. If it’s even the same kid. We don’t know. Who has the body? What did they find? I’d love to know but we never will.

[Big Red Badger]

Some place said “Aim Point”....
Another said “Iron Sights”...
Fog of War....who knows?

[21twelve]

As a teen I was a crack shot with my single action .22 rifle. Could hit a bottle cap at 50 feet no problem.

I went to college and figured I’d join the rifle team.

I couldn’t hit squat! They had the big fancy .22 rifles with the huge stocks and funny stuff hanging off of it and IIRC had to wear padded mitts that acted like rests. I was terrible and didn’t last long. Although I DID hit the paper and not 20 feet off.

[21twelve]

I’ve wondered that too - where did the other bullets hit. And was Trump hit with the first one or a later one? Regardless - even if Trump was missed by 2 feet, the idea that a shooter could get even get shots off is just terrible and it was a close call.

[smileyface]

"The hardest part to believe is that the school had a rifle club."

```````

I totally agree.

A public school just outside of Pittsburgh still has a rifle club???

not on current list

http://bethelparkhighschool.org/activities/yearbook.html

What are they trying to sell us and why?

[smileyface]

"The hardest part to believe is that the school had a rifle club."

```````

I totally agree.

A public school just outside of Pittsburgh still has a rifle club???

not on current list

http://bethelparkhighschool.org/activities/yearbook.html

What are they trying to sell us and why?

[AppyPappy]

May have been a club sport outside of school

[Big Red Badger]

Yuppers,,,
Americans have Always recoiled from Royalty and it’s trappings
But
The Truth of it is The King of Kings
Is Comeing and I’m ready to Proclaim
His Resurrection is his Right to the
Throne of David, The Lion of Judah!

[COBOL2Java]

Per the article, he couldn’t even qualify for his HS rifle team...he was such a bad aim.

He was 2 years out of HS. Could have improved since then, especially if he had a "mission".

[AnthonySoprano]

.
Yes, something’s definitely wrong

[gundog]

Sounds like the kid was goofing on the rifle team.

[x]

The group has a facebook page (assuming it’s not fake):

https://www.facebook.com/bprifle/

Last post, October 2022.

I suspect he may have been fooling with the team when he tried out, or maybe he was flustered by missing the target the first time and threw the other shots away.