Federal records released this week confirm Thomas Crooks spent years obsessing over guns before he tried to kill President Trump. The New York Post reported that these documents went to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. They show a boy who went from a terrible shooter to a capable marksman in just a few years. His father told investigators that Thomas had "ulterior motives" that became clear "the minute he pulled that trigger." This long, dark path started at home, evolving from a boy's private obsession into a public tragedy.
Matthew Crooks described his son as quiet and emotionless since birth. He told the FBI that Thomas rarely laughed and was very hard to read. The father said his son acted out in school because "he was bored" and later dumped fish food into his sister's tank. Matthew admitted he "pushed" Thomas to the point of crying just to see an emotional reaction. Despite this coldness, Thomas scored a near-perfect 1500 on his SATs. He was smart but lonely, and he spent his time at the gun range practicing. His father noted that Thomas "could not hit the paper [target]" at first, but he kept trying for four or five years.
Things got stranger when Thomas started buying parts online. He used the fake name "Bob Dole" to hide his purchases from his parents. The New York Post — US News reported that parcels sent to the house included "parts, tools and items to increase the capacity of his rifle." Thomas even taught his father how to use a secure browser to avoid hackers. He believed using a pseudonym would keep his accounts safe. His father knew this logic was flawed, but Thomas ignored him. He wanted to change the gun his father gave him to make it more deadly.
This case shows how a parent can miss the signs right under their nose. Matthew Crooks changed his gun safe code often because his son would look over his shoulder. Yet he still handed the rifle to Thomas on the morning of the attack. He thought his son was just going to the range. This is a warning for every family with a gun in the house. You must know who is touching your weapons. You must know who is buying extra parts for them. The law says you need a background check to buy a gun, but Thomas tried to buy parts without one. He asked his dad if "he would have to do a background check" to buy a Glock pistol. That question should have set off alarms.
We can't rely on technology to save us. Thomas used fake names and secure browsers to hide his tracks. He had 35 digital accounts that FBI agents eventually found. But the real failure was human. A young man was pacing in a garage with his "arms going up and down … frantically talking and not making any sense" just days before the shooting. His father saw this on a camera but did not stop him. We need to be better at watching our own children. We need to ask hard questions when they act strange. Safety starts in our own living rooms, not just in government buildings. What happens when the person you trust most is the one planning harm?
The FBI found no foreign link to this attack. It was a homegrown threat that grew in silence. The documents show a boy who was obsessed with guns and politics in a twisted way. He wanted to own his grandfather's guns and change his rifle to shoot better. He used a political name to hide his digital footprint. This was a plan that took years to build. The New York Post — Politics confirmed that Thomas was "very knowledgeable" about how to measure his sight. He was ready to kill. We must stay alert. We must talk to our kids. We must not ignore the red flags that our children show us. The cost of ignoring them is far too high for any American family.