EXCLUSIVE: BETHEL PARK, Penn. – A former classmate of would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks says the 20-year-old gunman once mocked him over his support of former President Donald Trump and had a general disdain for mainstream politicians across the political aisle.
“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?'” Vincent Taormina told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “No. He’s great. He was a great president. He called me stupid – or insinuated that I was stupid.”
It happened during a discussion in an English class at Bethel Park High School during the 2016 campaign, he said. Trump, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders were all still in the race.
SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR: TRUMP RALLY SHOOTER WAS IDENTIFIED AS ‘POTENTIAL PERSON OF SUSPICION’
Pennsylvania resident Vincent Taormina discusses his past encounters with Trump rally gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks in an interview on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, days after his former classmate opened fire on former President Donald Trump, killing a bystander and critically wounding two others. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
“He just did not like politicians, especially with the choices that we had,” Taormina said. “He did not like our politicians.”
Taormina that Crooks was usually quiet, except on certain topics that he seemed passionate about, including math and politics. And on those issues, he could be “smug [and] arrogant,” he added.
“He did not like our politicians.”
“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,” he said.
He also pushed back on reporting that Crooks was a complete loner. He had a friend group, he said, although it was both small and concerning.
Undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks in a yearbook photo. Crooks is alleged to be the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Satruday, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
OFFICER REPORTED MAN AT TRUMP RALLY WITH RANGE-FINDER 30 MINS BEFORE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: SOURCE
“They were definitely the type, and they did, make threats to shoot up our school,” he said.
Although he and other classmates suspected Crooks himself was behind a threat, he said he had no firm proof. But after the threat came in, the future would-be assassin didn’t return to school for a few days.
Crooks, 20, killed a 50-year-old father of two named Corey Comperatore, critically wounded David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, according to authorities. He struck the former president in his right ear.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Secret Service counter-snipers “neutralized” Crooks at the scene, authorities said. Images show him lying dead on a rooftop less than 150 yards from where Trump had been speaking.
After the rumors began swirling, Crooks’ demeanor changed, Taormina said. He got quieter and stopped confronting people about politics.
But he had enough friends, Taormina argued, that someone must’ve seen a red flag along the line.
Undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks is alleged to be the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
“Everybody, anybody who knew him-knew him, should have seen something,” he said. “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?”
Authorities have said Crooks had no criminal history and no documented mental illnesses. The murder weapon was purchased legally by his father in 2013.
A federal investigation into his motives and potential help is continuing, with the FBI analyzing his laptop, cellphone and rifle as well as interviewing dozens of witnesses.
File photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks graduating from Bethel Park High School in 2022. Crooks is alleged to be the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Satruday, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Searches of the suspect’s house and vehicle wrapped up Sunday night. The bureau also said the FBI had interviewed nearly 100 witnesses, including members of law enforcement, as of Monday afternoon.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to submit tips at http://tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.