Donald Trump rally shooter was rejected by rifle team at school, was a ‘bad shot’

A bullet echoed at an election rally as it grazed into former United States President Donald Trump’s ear, bringing the loud and cheering voices to a moment’s silence. It was shot by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Crooks, as per his school friend Jameson Myers, was a poor marksman at school. Speaking with ABC News, Myers stated that Crooks tried to join the high school’s rifle team but was rejected and asked not to come back after a “pre-season” session.

“He didn’t just not make the team; he was asked not to come back because of how bad of a shot he was; it was considered dangerous,” Myers said.

While seeking anonymity, a member of the team told ABC News that there was a view that Crooks “wasn’t really fit for the rifle team.”

However, the school district said that there was no record of Crooks being on the rifle team. The school district said Crooks “never appeared on a roster”, reported ABC news. Notably, Crooks was part of a local shooting club called Clairton Sportsmen’s Club.

“He also shot terrible,” the team member was quoted as saying by ABC News in its report.

Described as “quiet” and “very smart,” Crooks was a loner. Myers, while describing Crooks, said that he was “more socially reserved” and someone who “didn’t have a ton of friends.”

Estranged from “politics,” Crooks was a fan of “Star Wars”.

Remembering Crooks as a friend, Myers stated, “He was a very nice, even sweet guy from what I knew.”

Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle, fired from the rooftop of a building, about 140 meters from the stage where Donald Trump was speaking. He was able to graze the 79-year-old leader and was shot dead by Secret Service agents.