A 20-year-old Pennsylvanian man named as the gunman who tried to assassinate former President Trump on Saturday had an account with the online chat platform Discord, according to company officials.
Discord identified and removed an account that seems to be associated with Thomas Matthew Crooks due to violating the company’s “off-platform behavior policy.”
“It was rarely utilized, has not been used in months, and we have found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident, promote violence, or discuss his political views,” the spokesperson said. “Discord strongly condemns violence of any kind, including political violence, and we will continue to coordinate closely with law enforcement.”
Investigators have not said why the shots were fired, or whether they believe Crooks had any connection to far-right groups.
Crooks shot Trump approximately 130 yards away during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania this past Saturday.
As Trump addressed throngs of supporters ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, he was shot on his earlobe and suffered an injury to a small part of his right upper ear.
The FBI said one attendee was slain and two others were wounded in the occurrence, while Crooks himself had been killed.
Investigators have revealed that Crooks was originally from Bethel Park, a suburb of Pittsburgh about an hour south from the scene of his death.
According to voting records, Crooks was a registered Republican, but only voted in the November 8 state election due to his age.
However, we know that Crooks donated $15 using the same phone number linked to his client account at Progressive Turnout Project, a Chicago political action committee that aims to boost Democratic candidates for public office and says it works on behalf of “core Democratic constituencies.”
