5 things to know about Trump rally shooter, his family and high school

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Monday, July 15, 2024

Former classmates disagree about whether he was bullied

Crooks’ former classmates appear to disagree on whether or not the 20-year-old was bullied in high school. The gunman graduated from Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania in 2022. 

As CBS News reported Sunday, Jameson Myers, who graduated the same year as the shooter, told the network that Crooks was a "nice kid who never talked poorly of anyone.” Crooks and Myers had been close in elementary school, but the pair drifted apart by high school. Myers added that he didn't think Crooks was “capable of anything I've seen him do in the last few days."

Myers, a member of the Bethel Park High School varsity rifle team, said Crooks had tried out for the rifle team his freshman year of high school but didn't make the junior varsity roster. According to the shooter’s former classmate, Crooks didn't try out for the team again. 

“When I did speak with him, he just seemed like a normal boy who was not particularly popular but never got picked on or anything," Myers said.

Though he didn't make the high school rifle team, Time reported Monday that Crooks belonged to the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, which has a 200-yard rifle range. 

Another former high school classmate, Summer Barkley, told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA that Crooks wasn’t widely popular, but he still had friends and teachers liked him. Jason Koehler, another classmate, said he remembered Crooks was bullied for his appearance and would often sit alone in the cafeteria before class.

Mark Sigafoos, who graduated the same year as Crooks and had two classes with him, didn't recall witnessing anyone bully the shooter. He remembered him as someone smart who regularly participated in class.

"This is one of the things that is being misconstrued — he was not some type of loner trench coat wearer. And I will say he was definitely nerdy, for sure, but he never gave off that he was creepy or like a school shooter," Sigafoos said. "He seemed like he wouldn't hurt a fly."