Collin Rugg’s report details an interview with Bill Jenkins, a 62-year-old Air Force veteran, who is reflecting on a conversation he had with Thomas Crooks, a suspect in a recent shooting. Jenkins mentions that during a gun range class, he and the instructor—both Trump supporters—discussed their political views, including their opinions on the Trump administration. Jenkins recalls noticing Crooks’ “evil smirk” during the conversation, which has led him to question whether their discussion might have influenced Crooks in any way.
Jenkins expresses concern and remorse, wondering if their political discussion could have contributed to Crooks’ actions. This self-reflection highlights the unsettling impact that political conversations and personal interactions can have, especially in the context of tragic events.
NEW: Gun range classmate of Thomas Crooks says Crooks made an evil smirk when a political conversation came up. 62-year-old Air Force veteran Bill Jenkins says he wonders if he may have accidentally inspired Crooks to pull off the sho*ting. “It turns out the instructor and I are Trump supporters. We talked about how our country was good under Trump,” Jenkins said during an interview with The Sun. “I noticed at the time that the kid wasn’t saying anything one way or another but I could see him smirking. He had a little smile.” “Looking back, I think he was biting his tongue. Nothing we discussed will have sat well with him.” “It’s crossed my mind: did that conversation help push him over the edge? It freaks me out a little because a person has died.”
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin who targeted former President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, had a troubling background of research and preparation leading up to the attack. Crooks, 20, had extensively researched mass shooters, including Ethan Crumbley, the Oxford High School shooter. He even took a screenshot from a livestream of Trump’s speech just moments before opening fire, indicating that the rally’s proximity to his home in Pennsylvania was a matter of convenience rather than an ideological target.
Crooks’s search history included how to build explosives, and investigators found some explosives at his home, along with a detonator beside his body after he was shot by a sniper. His research also involved President Biden and the Democratic National Convention, suggesting his intent was to create a high-profile massacre rather than targeting a specific ideology.
https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1815029047606595731
