Just two months before he took a shot at former President Donald Trump during a rally, wounding the former president and killing a bystander, Thomas Matthew Crooks practiced his marksmanship at Clairton Sportsmen’s Club’s rifle range. The preparation was part of what Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) described as “intense preparation” in the months prior to his attempted assassination of the former president.
Records released by Grassley’s office show that Crooks frequented the gun club multiple times, including the day before a scheduled Department of Homeland Security (DHS) training session at the same facility. The 20-year-old suspect visited the club on May 22, practicing alone on a 200-yard-long rifle range.
“He focused almost exclusively on the rifle range throughout 2024,” Grassley’s office said. In addition, newly released body camera footage from the incident adds a dramatic visual account of the attack, showing the premeditation of Crooks’ actions as detailed in the records.
Crooks was a regular at Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania. He joined the club on August 2023, and by the time of the attack on July 13, had logged 43 visits, according to records from the club. These records were released following a congressional request. Crooks’ attendance at the club wasn’t sporadic; he was there 20 times within the first four months of his membership alone. Crooks visited the club between three and six times per month during his membership.