The gunman behind Saturday's assassination attempt on Donald Trump was reportedly rejected from his high school shooting club.
On July 13, the 78-year-old former POTUS miraculously survived an attempt on his life while addressing a crowd at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Pennsylvania.
Approximately 10 minutes into his speech, shots could be heard ringing out and Trump was struck by a bullet in the right ear. Tragically, one rally-goer was killed and two others injured as a result of the bullet spray.
Amid the chaos, Secret Service agents were able to bundle the Republican candidate to the ground, before the assailant was eventually shot dead by authorities.
Following the alarming incident, the FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
Now, Crooks' former classmates have spoken out about the boy who would go on to become the gunman behind the US' first presidential candidate shooting since 1981.
Speaking to the New York Post, two of Crooks' former classmates say that Crooks has previously tried out for the rifle team at Bethel Park High School.
Former student Jameson Murphy tells The Post that the school's team shoots Anschutz single-shot rifles with peep sights and .22-caliber ammunition, and practices on a shooting range at on the school's premises that is 50 feet long by 21 feet wide.
Murphy tells The Post: "[Crooks] tried out... and was such a comically bad shot he was unable to make the team and left after the first day."
Another former student described Crooks as a "loner" who would wear hunting outfits to class, despite being "a terrible shot".
The ex-student says that concerns about Crooks extended to the team's coach, who was a "stickler" and "trained Navy marksmen".
"[The coach] knew people. He knew when someone’s not the greatest person,” the former student said.
In a new update from the FBI, officials say Crooks "acted alone", but that investigators have not ruled out the possibility of "any co-conspirators associated with this attack".
"At this time, there are no current public safety concerns," the statement continues.
"The FBI has not identified a motive for the shooter’s actions, but we are working to determine the sequence of events and the shooter’s movements prior to the shooting, collecting and reviewing evidence, conducting interviews, and following up on all leads. We have also obtained the shooter’s telephone for examination."
In their statement, officials confirm that FBI agents have "searched the shooter’s home and vehicle to collect additional evidence" and that "suspicious devices found at both locations have been rendered safe by bomb technicians and are being evaluated at the FBI Laboratory".
The FBI adds that the firearm used in the incident - said to be an AR-style rifle - was "purchased legally", and that Crooks was "not known to the FBI prior to this incident".
At this time, the FBI's investigation is being conducted by "the FBI's Pittsburgh Field Office in coordination with our local, state, and federal partners", and officials have urged anybody with any information regarding the incident to come forward.
Information can be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
