Trump’s attempted assassin was rejected from school gun club because he was a ‘bad shooter’

The 20-year-old gunman who tried to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally was previously rejected from his high school shooting club because he was “a bad shooter”, it has been revealed.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot dead on Saturday evening by Secret Service agents after he opened fire on the former president from a vantage point of the rooftop of a building just outside the security perimeter of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The gunman, from nearby Bethel Park, fired several shots toward Trump – with one narrowly missing his head and striking him in the ear.

Trump ducked down behind the podium and his security detail rushed on stage to protect him, but three rally attendees were struck by the spray of bullets.

Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former fire chief who was attending the rally with his family, was killed as he threw his body over his loved ones to protect them from the gunfire. Two other rallygoers – David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74 – were injured and rushed to hospital in critical condition. By Sunday afternoon, their conditions had been updated to stable.

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As authorities work to determine what motivated the 20-year-old to stage the assassination attempt on the former president, former classmates, friends and family members are coming forward with details about his background.

Crooks’ former classmates at Bethel Park High have revealed that he was interested in firearms during his school days – and had attended trials for the school’s rifle team.

Jameson Myers told ABC News that Crooks fell short of making the team and was asked not to return to the club after the preseason due to his