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Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old suspect in the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, had briefly appeared in a 2022 advertisement for BlackRock Inc., the company said on Sunday.
BlackRock said that it had removed from circulation the ad, which features scenes filmed in the classroom of an economics teacher at Bethel Park High School.
Crooks was a senior at the school in 2022 and appeared onscreen twice during the 30-second spot. He is seen sitting at a classroom desk, wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, and does not speak.
Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents after firing multiple shots at Trump, appeared as an unpaid background student in an ad filmed at Bethel Park High School, where he graduated in 2022. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, revealed this connection in an emailed statement to Reuters.
“In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks,” the statement said. The company added that all video footage will be made available to the appropriate authorities and that the video has been removed from circulation.
The assassination attempt at the rally, where Trump was addressing his supporters, resulted in the death of one attendee and critical injuries to two others. BlackRock condemned the attack, describing it as “abhorrent” and expressed relief that Trump wasn’t seriously injured.
“The assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent. We’re thankful that former President Trump wasn’t seriously injured, and thinking about all the innocent bystanders and victims of this awful act, especially the person who was killed,” the company said.
Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle, had moved across rooftops to find a vantage point to target Trump. Witnesses Ben Macer and Ryan Knight described seeing the shooter before he was killed by the Secret Service.
BlackRock said that it had removed from circulation the ad, which features scenes filmed in the classroom of an economics teacher at Bethel Park High School.
Crooks was a senior at the school in 2022 and appeared onscreen twice during the 30-second spot. He is seen sitting at a classroom desk, wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, and does not speak.
Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents after firing multiple shots at Trump, appeared as an unpaid background student in an ad filmed at Bethel Park High School, where he graduated in 2022. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, revealed this connection in an emailed statement to Reuters.
“In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks,” the statement said. The company added that all video footage will be made available to the appropriate authorities and that the video has been removed from circulation.
The assassination attempt at the rally, where Trump was addressing his supporters, resulted in the death of one attendee and critical injuries to two others. BlackRock condemned the attack, describing it as “abhorrent” and expressed relief that Trump wasn’t seriously injured.
“The assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent. We’re thankful that former President Trump wasn’t seriously injured, and thinking about all the innocent bystanders and victims of this awful act, especially the person who was killed,” the company said.
Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle, had moved across rooftops to find a vantage point to target Trump. Witnesses Ben Macer and Ryan Knight described seeing the shooter before he was killed by the Secret Service.
BlackRock also announced it will release its second-quarter results on Monday. The company has previously faced scrutiny for its investments in gunmakers through some of its index funds.
This revelation adds a new dimension to the investigation, highlighting unexpected connections in the aftermath of the tragic event.
