The maths nerd who tried to assassinate Donald Trump was frequently bullied at school and failed to make the varsity rifle team because he was a bad shooter.
Kitchen worker Thomas Crooks, 20, used his father’s AR-15 style assault rifle to open fire on former president Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, leaving one audience member dead and two others critically wounded.
According to former friends, Crooks had been mocked for sometimes wearing hunting outfits to school.
The FBI found explosive devices in his car which he drove to Republican Trump’s campaign event on Saturday.
Crooks was spotted on a roof and shot dead at the scene within seconds by a Secret Service sniper.
Images of his body appear to show him wearing a T-shirt from Demolition Ranch, a popular YouTube channel that regularly posts videos of its creator firing off handguns and assault rifles at targets that include human mannequins.
He grew up in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a well-to-do suburb with his parents and sister.
Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, receiving a $500 (£385) star award from the National Maths and Science Initiative.
But a video of his graduation appears to show him getting a less enthusiastic round of applause than other students.
Jason Kohler, 21, said Crooks didn’t fit in at school and was “bullied almost every day”.
“He'd sit alone at lunch, he was just an outcast,” added Mr Kohler.
“I’d say he was a loner, he was quiet. He was bullied so much. So much. They made fun of the way he dressed.”
Jameson Myers, a former member of the school’s varsity rifle team, told CBS News he did not make the side.
Mr Myers added. "He never returned to try-outs for the remainder of high school."
“I never have thought him capable of anything I’ve seen him do in the last few days.”
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Frederick Mach, a current captain of the rifle team, said Crooks was turned away because he was a bad shooter.
Sarah D’Angelo, another former classmate of Crooks, added: “He never spoke about his political views or how much he hated Trump or anything."
The gunman’s father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before speaking further.
Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter.
But federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on January 20, 2021, the day Trump’s Democrat rival Joe Biden was sworn into office.
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