‘I don’t know what to say’: Family of Thomas Matthew Crooks struggles to make sense of Trump shooting

As questions swirl about the would-be assassin who shot former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on Saturday, the shooter’s family is also struggling to make sense of what happened.

The FBI identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who lived with his parents in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park. Crooks, who was perched on a nearby rooftop, was shot dead by the Secret Service shortly after bloodying Trump’s ear with a round investigators believe came from an AR-15 assault-style rifle found at the scene.

Reached by phone on Sunday morning, Crooks’ uncle, Mark Crooks, said he was inundated with calls following his nephew’s attempt on Trump’s life, which was, “of course,” a tremendous shock, he told The Independent. He said he had “no idea” what might have motivated the shooting, and is just trying to process the news.

“I don’t know what to say,” he conceded.

The 68-year-old lives in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles from Crooks’ hometown of Bethel Park, but said he hadn’t had any contact with Crooks “in years.”

“I haven’t seen the kid since he was little,” Mark Crooks said. “He never wanted to bother [with maintaining a relationship], so we don’t see him.”

Crooks’ parents, Matthew and Mary Crooks, née Frizzi, are certified behavioral health counselors, according to state licensing records. Neither responded on Sunday to multiple requests for comment from The Independent.

In a brief call with CNN on Saturday night, Matthew Crooks, 53, said he was attempting to figure out “what the hell is going on,” and that he needed to “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before saying anything further.

According to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, Crooks squeezed off