Update: CNN is now reporting that the Steam account appears to be fake. It does seem a little far-fetched that would be assassin Matthew Crooks would leave a mini manifesto on Steam of all places, but stranger things have definitely happened lately. Original story below.
In the modern world of school shooters and would-be assassins, it’s rare that they just appear out of the ether. Oftentimes there are little breadcrumbs left behind, whether it be in disturbing journal entries or on far-off corners of the internet. Such is the case with Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who wrote a hint about what was to come on the gaming platform Steam before he tried to kill the president.
CNN is reporting that the young man wrote “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” per an unnamed source. This would mean that Crooks was planning the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania well in advance of that day.
Investigators have been combing through every aspect of Crooks life, as well as all of his activities, leading up to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. They’ve learned that he went to the rally location twice before it happened and that he had photos of both President Joe Biden and Trump on his phone.
His search history reportedly had the dates of both the upcoming Democratic National Convention and a number of upcoming Trump events as well. There still is one thing missing though: a clear motive.
On the day of the shooting, Crooks climbed onto the roof of a nearby building and used an AR-15 style weapon to fire at the president, striking him in the ear and missing his forehead by just inches.
Crooks’ search history records also revealed that the 20-year-old also searched online about major depression disorder.
This story has been updated with new information about the veracity of the Steam account.