No, Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks wasn’t trans – it’s fake news
Donald Trump was wounded in the shooting in Pennsylvania. (Getty)
Viral posts shared on Facebook and Twitter have suggested that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter suspected of attempting to assassinate person who shot Donald Trump at a rally last week, is trans.
The former president was shot in the ear during his campaign rally in Pennsylvania, with investigators identifying the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks using DNA and facial recognition technology.
Crooks – a 20-year-old cisgender man – killed an audience member and wounded two others, as well as wounding Trump himself.
Right-wing accounts began sharing an image of an unrelated transgender person online, claiming that it was Crooks.
Paul Hookem, who shares a lot of right-wing content, was seemingly the first person to suggest that Crooks was trans and used a photo of a random trans person on social media to make their (false) point.
In a now-deleted post, Hookem wrote: “Anyone wondering why they aren’t using this photo of the shooter?”
The post received over seven million views and was amplified by prominent figures like right-wing broadcaster Alex Jones, who has a history of sharing disinformation, and cryptocurrency influencer Matt Wallace.
Jones wrote: “A government run cult!”
It is unclear what specifically he was referring to but it is likely he meant trans people in general.
The person in the photo, Rose, recently came forward to say that she was not the shooter. In an interview with journalist Erin Reed, who writes the newsletter Erin in the Morning, Rose said she was “the most average person” but that these posts were just a form of “engagement bait”.
“At least the pic used is one where I look cute,” Rose added.
The FBI currently cannot find a motive behind the shooting, with a statement recently confirming that they are now analysing Crooks’ electronic devices.
The search of Crooks’ home and vehicle has already been completed and nearly 100 interviews of witnesses, law enforcement, and event attendees at the rally have been conducted so far.
Investigators have said nothing has turned up to indicate that Crooks had a proclivity for violence, but rather enjoyed quiet activities like coding, chess, and video games, according to the New York Times.
Most importantly, Crooks was not trans and it is fake news to suggest he was.
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