Following the recent incident involving Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump, neighbors in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, have come forward to share insights into the suspect and his family.
Two neighbors, identified as Amy and Holly, dismissed the notion that the Crooks family displayed any political affiliation through campaign signs in their yard. Holly, a local GOP captain, mentioned that she had never provided campaign signs to the Crooks household, despite Crooks being a registered Republican.
It was revealed that Crooks had donated to a progressive political action committee on the day of President Biden's inauguration, indicating a complex political stance. Neighbors attested to the absence of any visible signs of political alignment at the Crooks' residence.
Holly, who actively engages in Republican campaign activities, stated that she had never encountered Crooks or his family during her door-knocking efforts in the neighborhood. She emphasized that Crooks was not on the list of likely Republican voters she had access to.
Further details emerged regarding the political affiliations within the Crooks family, with his mother registered as a Democrat and his father as a libertarian. Neighbors also noted the infrequent sightings of Crooks and his family in the area.
One neighbor, Amy, recalled a peculiar encounter with Crooks where he appeared withdrawn and kept his head down while passing by her yard. She also shared her decision to forego attending a Trump rally in light of the shooting incident involving Crooks.
Amy described the moment she heard gunshots during the rally and expressed relief that Trump was unharmed. She interpreted Trump's subsequent actions as a call to continue the fight for freedom, rather than inciting violence.
The neighbors' accounts shed light on the complex dynamics surrounding the suspect and the political landscape in their community, emphasizing the need for nuanced understanding amidst heightened tensions.
