The high school of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a rally on July 13, said that it has “no record” of him attempting to join the school’s rifle team.
Former high school classmate Jameson Myers, a member of the Bethel Park High School’s varsity rifle team, told CBS News that the gunman had tried out for the team freshman year but did not make the junior varsity roster and did not return to try out for the team in subsequent years.
The Pennsylvania school refuted this claim in a fact sheet shared online.
“It has been reported that Thomas Crooks was a member of the Bethel Park High School rifle team or tried out for it but was dismissed due to poor performance or because the coach had character concerns,” the school said. “Thomas Crooks was never a member of the school’s rifle team and we have no record of him trying out. The coach does not recall meeting him. However, it is possible that Crooks informally attended a practice, took a shot, and never returned. We don’t have any record of that happening.”
The school also responded to statements that the gunman had been bullied while in high school. Some peers said that he had been an outcast. Myers, who shared the rifle team anecdote, remembered him as a “nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone” and said he was not picked on.
“According to our records, Mr. Crooks excelled academically, regularly attended school, and had no disciplinary incidents, including those related to bullying or threats,” the school said. “Mr. Crooks was known as a quiet, bright young man who generally got along with his teachers and classmates.”
An investigation into the gunman has turned up little in the way of political ideologies, federal investigators told members of Congress last week. Analysis of his devices showed that he had searched for both Trump and President Biden, and had looked up where Trump would speak from during his rally. He had also searched for the location of the Democratic National Convention. On the day of the attack, he searched for photos of the farm where Trump’s rally was held and for a nearby gun shop that is cooperating with investigators, according to CBS News affiliate KDKA.
Investigators have also conducted over 200 interviews, including with family, neighbors and coworkers. All interviewed family members said the gunman never discussed politics or ideology.