The father of Thomas Matthew Crooks, Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, called police out of concern for his missing son hours after the July 13 shooting occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, newly obtained audio revealed.
At 10:56 p.m., nearly five hours after Trump was shot, Matthew Crooks called 911, worried because his son had gone radio silent since mid-afternoon, he explained.
Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024.
Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images
“Hi, yes. Uh, my name is Matthew Crooks – I was calling in regards to my son, Thomas. Uh, he belongs to the Clairton Sportsman Club.”
“The reason I’m calling is he left the house here at about a quarter to two this afternoon, and we’ve gotten no contact from him, no text messages, nothing’s been returned, and he’s not home yet. That’s totally not like him. So we’re kind of worried, not really sure what we should do,” Crooks Sr. said, his voice steady but sounding slightly tense.
The recording of the call was obtained by ABC News via a records request from Allegheny County, where the Crooks family home is located.
Matthew Crooks also mentioned his son is 20 years old.
The call audio cuts off in the dispatcher’s mid-sentence as she confirmed the timeframe when the family last heard from their son.
Thomas Matthew Crooks allegedly fired as many as eight rounds from a rooftop 200-300 yards away, shooting Trump in the ear, killing one spectator and injuring two others. According to an intelligence bulletin from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, Crooks bought 50 rounds of ammunition from a local gun store on the day of the shooting. Two improvised explosive devices were found in his car and another in his home, according to the bulletin.
From the time he fired his first shot to the gunman being killed was just 26 seconds, according to law enforcement officials. Eleven seconds after the first shot, Secret Service counter snipers acquired their target — and 15 seconds after that, Crooks was shot dead.
