Trump shooter Thomas Crooks' neighbors describe life in community 1 year later
Neighbors in Bethel Park, where the man who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump lived, said the political violence they feared would take place following the shooting didn't end up coming to fruition.
"I think that's great, obviously," Allegheny County Councilman Dan Grzybek said. "I mean, no one wants to ever see the violence, political or otherwise."
Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at Mr. Trump at a Butler County campaign rally, striking his ear and killing Corey Comperatore on July 13, 2024. Rally-goers Jim Copenhaver and David Dutch were shot but survived.
Grzybek, who lives down the road from where the Crooks family lives, shared with KDKA-TV in the days following the shooting the concerns he and others had.
"People are concerned that this act of political violence will result in further political violence," Grzybek told KDKA in 2024. "I think people are worried that conspiracy theorists are going to come to the area and do something not particularly smart."
The Crooks family still owns the same Milford Drive home, with the same blue pickup truck parked in the driveway.
"I actually wasn't sure if they still live there or not, because I haven't seen anybody coming or going," said Kelly Little, who lives across the street. "So, either they're keeping to themselves or they've moved on."
She remembers what it was like in the weeks that followed the shooting. First, reporters from across the globe staked out on the road, many trying to speak with largely reluctant neighbors about what they knew about Crooks.
Part of the reason many of them told reporters they were not comfortable speaking was because of the potential for violence in the community.
"It was chaos," Grzbek said.
The street then reopened to the general public.
"There was a wave of people driving by to look at the house," Little said. "I thought there might be some people showing them some hate, but I haven't seen anything. ... I think it's good. I think they need to be left alone."
It took just a few weeks for things to seem to blow over, allowing life to get back to normal.
"Whenever I tell people from other places that, oh, I live in Bethel Park, [they say] 'I know that that was where the Trump shooter lived,'" Gryzbek said. "And so you get that every once in a while. But in terms of locally, it's very much just something that we've moved on from. And you know, Bethel Park's going to continue to be the great place to live that it always has been."
Little thanked the local police for maintaining a frequent presence outside the home to help keep everyone safe.
The Crooks family has never spoken publicly about their son.
