Crooks named suspect in Trump rally shooting, not Yearick | Fact check

Andre Byik, USA TODAY
·3 min read
25

The claim: Thomas Matthew Crooks is not the suspected Trump rally shooter

A July 14 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) claims to share news about the suspect in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a July 13 campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

The post's caption reads, "Now, it's being reported that Thomas Matthew Crooks is NOT the alleged shooter, and that it is a guy affiliated with ANTIFA that was actually arrested back in 2016 for being involved in an Anti-Trump protest in Pittsburgh. His name is Maxwell Yearick."

The post was liked more than 300 times in three days.

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Our rating: False

The suspect in the attempted assassination of Trump is Thomas Matthew Crooks, not Maxwell Yearick. There are no credible reports from law enforcement or news outlets that link Yearick to the rally shooting.

FBI named Crooks as suspect, gained access to his phone

In a July 14 statement, the FBI named Crooks as the suspect in the attempted assassination of Trump at the former president's July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. This hasn't changed. The bureau said in a July 15 update it had gained access to Crooks' phone and completed searches of his home and vehicle.

No credible reports from law enforcement or news organizations say Crooks is no longer suspected to be the gunman who opened fire at Trump's rally, nor are there any such reports about Yearick being a suspect.

The shooting left one spectator dead and two others seriously injured. Trump was also injured in the shooting, and Secret Service agents killed Crooks at the scene. The FBI, which is also investigating the incident as potential domestic terrorism, has not yet announced a motive in the shooting. The FBI indicated it believes Crooks acted alone.

"At this time, the information that we have indicates that the shooter acted alone and that there are currently no public safety concerns," Kevin Rojek, a special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, previously told USA TODAY.

Fact check: Claim that image shows Trump rally shooter began as hoax

The Instagram post includes a mugshot of then-29-year-old Yearick that has circulated online since 2016 when the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported he was arrested on suspicion of riot, aggravated assault and resisting arrest for his alleged role in an altercation with police during an anti-Trump protest in Pittsburgh. Yearick pleaded guilty in 2017 to simple assault and resisting arrest. He was ordered to serve three to 12 months in jail, the paper reported.

There is no evidence he had anything to do with the rally shooting in Pennsylvania.

The Instagram user who shared the post did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AFP and PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maxwell Yearick not named suspect in Trump rally shooting | Fact check

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