A former classmate of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted an assassination, revealed that Crooks once mocked him for supporting former President Donald Trump and generally expressed disdain for mainstream politicians from both parties.
“I brought up the fact that I’m Hispanic and, you know, I’m for Trump. And he said, ‘Well, you’re Hispanic, so shouldn’t you hate Trump?'” Vincent Taormina told Fox News Digital Tuesday.
“No. He’s great. He was a great president. He called me stupid – or insinuated that I was stupid.”
He recalled that it happened during a discussion in an English class during the 2016 campaign. At the time, Trump, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Senator Bernie Sanders were all still in the race.
“He just did not like politicians, especially with the choices that we had,” Taormina said. “He did not like our politicians.”
Taormina mentioned that Crooks was typically quiet, except when discussing topics he was passionate about, such as math and politics. On those subjects, Taormina noted, Crooks could be “smug and arrogant.”
“He would just talk, talk and act like he knew everything, especially politics related, and he would say it in a tone that was like, ‘I’m better than you,’ in a type of way,” he said.
He also pushed back on reporting that Crooks was a complete loner. He had a friend group, he said, although it was both small and concerning.
“They were definitely the type, and they did, make threats to shoot up our school,” he said.
He and his classmates suspected Crooks was behind a threat, but they had no solid proof. However, after the threat was made, Crooks, the future would-be assassin, didn’t come to school for a few days.
Crooks, 20, killed a 50-year-old father of two named Corey Comperatore, critically wounded David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, according to authorities. He struck the former president in his right ear.
Secret Service counter-snipers “neutralized” Crooks at the scene, authorities said. Images show him lying dead on a rooftop less than 150 yards from where Trump had been speaking.
Taormina said that after the rumors started circulating, Crooks’ demeanor changed. He became quieter and stopped confronting people about politics.
But he had enough friends, Taormina argued, that someone must’ve seen a red flag along the line.
“Everybody, anybody who knew him-knew him, should have seen something,” he said.
“They should have known something was up, and I know it’s kind of easy to hide, but people are going to get their affairs in order before they do something that’s bold and this drastic, and nobody saw it? And why?”
Authorities have said Crooks had no criminal history and no documented mental illnesses. The murder weapon was purchased legally by his father in 2013.
WATCH:
JUST IN: Former Thomas Crooks classmate says Crooks was a known Trump hater and was a "know it all."
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 17, 2024
The FBI still doesn’t know what Crooks' motive could have been.
Hispanic classmate Vincent Taormina recalled a political disagreement he had with Crooks after he told him that… pic.twitter.com/LzgnohInnw
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