Federal documents turned over to the Senate describe a pattern of erratic, increasingly manic behavior by Thomas Crooks in the weeks before he opened fire at President Donald Trump’s July 2024 rally in Butler, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania — an attack that killed one person and seriously wounded two others.
The documents, first reported by the New York Post, were reviewed by former FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam, who told Fox News Digital the records point to someone in mental decline.
“These are definitely examples of somebody who is mentally not stable and also somebody who was spiraling into almost a manic or delusional state,” Gilliam said. “When you combine somebody who is delusional, somebody who’s hearing voices and is having almost a manic type of episode… with potential influence either by persons that they’re around or things that they see online… it’s very possible that that is the large part of this equation that we just have not seen.”
According to an unclassified FBI memo, Crooks was “never into explosives,” but one individual, whose name was redacted, confronted him after finding a gallon jug of liquid he claimed was used to clean his 3D printer’s bed. That person told investigators they didn’t believe the explanation, noting Crooks’ “ears would flame red when he lied.” It is unclear when that conversation took place.
The same individual, who appeared close to Crooks, told the FBI he grew “more agitated” with age and “talked to himself a lot,” a habit that intensified after he attended community college.
“After community college he would talk to himself more and more, moving his hands and speaking to himself…sometimes Thomas would stay up dancing all night,” the individual said, adding he “seemed to have endless energy.”
When pressed, Crooks reportedly admitted to talking to himself but denied hearing voices. An FBI notepad entry echoed the description: “Sometimes he would stay up all night, always endless energy.”
Another portion of the memo describes nighttime pacing and whispering that someone found disruptive: “THOMAS would be in [redacted] at night and it sounded like he was dancing and whispering each night. About two to three times each week, he would pace through [redacted] When [redacted] confronted THOMAS about the pacing, THOMAS would say that he was bored and trying to entertain himself.”
Despite this, a coworker told investigators that in the weeks leading up to the shooting, Crooks had “opened up a little more” and seemed increasingly “excited about going to school.” He had earned an associate degree in engineering science from the Community College of Allegheny County and planned to study mechanical engineering at Robert Morris University.
Firearms training and purchases
In the months before the attack, Crooks enrolled in courses at the Keystone Shooting Center. Around that same period, he was seen at Keystone Armory in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, on May 25, 2024, buying 20 rounds of Red Army 7.62x54R ammunition for $19.07.
The FBI document described the visit: “The individual believed to be Crooks was accompanied by a white male believed to be around his mid 30’s and another older white male with a gray beard, potentially one of the individual’s father. The individual believed to be Crooks and the two other males can be seen wandering throughout the firearms store looking at various firearms.”
Investigators also noted that a redacted individual believed to be Crooks “purchased ammo online going site to site until he found one that would sell to him.”
No evidence of outside contact
FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Oversight Committee that investigators found nothing tying Crooks to any co-conspirators.
“We found no evidence that that individual was literally even speaking to any other human being other than his parents, who he resided with,” Patel testified.
The documents also confirm the FBI contacted at least one foreign government during its investigation, though they do not explain why.
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