Days before attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks allegedly posted a chilling message on Steam, a popular online gaming platform where users communicate.
According to Fox News, Crooks wrote, “July 13 will be my premiere; watch as it unfolds,” hinting at his sinister plans. This message was discovered by investigators as they examined Crooks’ digital devices, including his mobile phone and laptop.
Reports from The New York Post indicated that Crooks had images of both Donald Trump and President Joe Biden on his phone, along with searches related to the Democratic National Convention schedule and Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.
While investigating Crooks' background, ABC News found that despite his status as a registered Republican, it remained unclear where he fell on the political spectrum.
Crooks was fatally shot shortly after targeting Trump. Investigators recovered two cell phones from him: one near his body and another at his residence with only 27 contacts, as detailed by Fox.
NBC provided a timeline of the incident, showing that Crooks was identified as a person of interest at 5:10 pm, spotted with a rifle through a rangefinder at 5:30 pm, observed on a roof by the Secret Service at 5:52 pm, and began firing shots at 6:12 pm.
