Weapons & Guns

Thomas Matthew Crooks was a member at a local gun club in Pennsylvania -- and even went a day before firing upon Donald Trump -- but he didn't leave a lasting impression on very many people who regularly go there ... TMZ has learned.

We've called around and connected with a handful of current members at the Clairton Sportsmen's Club -- not far from Crooks' home -- and the answer we got from just about all of them was the same ... nobody had ever heard of this guy before Saturday's shooting.

Bob Wolanin -- a longtime Clairton member -- tells us the name and face didn't stand out to him at all ... and ditto for another member and even a current worker at the club -- who didn't want their names out there -- but who relayed a similar sentiment ... namely, Thomas was a ghost as far as they're concerned.

New footage appears to show would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks lurking in the background of the rally ... an hour before he shot at the former president.

In video recorded by a man who attended Saturday's rally, you can see a person matching Crooks' description -- and he's pacing around the event's perimeter, just on the outskirts of the main event ... right by the building Crooks climbed an hour later to take aim at Trump.

The footage was obtained by WTAE-TV Pittsburgh ... and the Trump supporter who filmed it says when he looked over his footage and noticed Crooks in the background, he couldn't sleep ... let alone believe he'd captured the shooter inadvertently.

John Hinckley Jr. is speaking on the Donald Trump shooting -- and his position might take some people by surprise ... 'cause he's condemning the attempted assassination.

The ex-con -- who shot Ronald Reagan in the '80s -- took to social media Wednesday to address the fact Thomas Matthew Crooks tried putting a bullet in Trump's head ... the first attempted assassination on a current/former Prez since Hinckley did what he did.

He writes, "Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance."

Thomas Matthew Crooks trying to kill Donald Trump seems to have come out of left field -- 'cause his parents didn't know where he was that day ... and called the authorities about it.

According to FOX News ... the gunman's mom and dad were looking for their 20-year-old son Saturday not long before he showed up in Butler, PA for the Trump rally -- only to perch himself on a roof and open fire on the ex-Prez, which cost him his life.

Thomas' mom and dad reportedly called the authorities about his MIA status BEFORE he opened fire at the rally ... which left retired volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore dead.

A Donald Trump-owned website is selling sneakers featuring the iconic image of the former United States President just moments after he was shot and nearly assassinated ... with the limited edition kicks costing $299!

And, they're selling fast.

In addition to the historic photo, the high tops also say, "Fight, Fight, Fight" ... the words Trump yelled moments after the gunfire subsided.

Donald Trump's presidential campaign once profiled the father of attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks ... identifying the guy as a strong Republican who was into guns.

Trump's 2016 campaign amassed a database of millions of voters in swing states and Matthew Brian Crooks was one of them ... with Trump's team determining he was a likely gun owner and "hunter" who would favorably respond to pro-gun rights messaging ... according to data first obtained and revealed by the UK's Channel 4 News.

The would-be assassin's mother, Mary, was profiled by Trump's 2016 campaign too apparently ... and she was also identified as a likely gun owner by campaign researchers.

11:51 AM PT -- Dr. Terry joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday morning to further discuss the attempt on Donald Trump's life ... including his theory that DJT's injury might be more superficial than it originally appeared and mentioning the possibility of PTSD for the former prez.

Dr. Terry Dubrow is giving his expert take on Donald Trump's wounded ear -- dishing on what kinda surgery he might need ... which could be uglier than many thought.

We caught up with the "Botched" star Tuesday -- who's a plastic surgeon himself -- and he tells us depending on how much tissue was blown off from the high-velocity bullet impact after the assassination attempt ... Trump might need a "missing parts" surgery.

People in the emergency room at the hospital where Donald Trump was treated after being shot were beside themselves as the motorcade rolled up ... everyone seemed to fear it was JFK all over again.

A man who was recording the scene said out loud that Trump had been shot in the head ... this as 45 was still in the SUV that had just parked outside the ER.

Tiger Woods says he was so affected by the Donald Trump assassination attempt ... he actually lost sleep over it -- and he admitted it affected at least some of his preparation for this week's huge Open Championship.

The golfing legend told BBC Sport he learned of the shooting while on a plane ride from the States to Scotland on Saturday.

Woods said he stayed up all night on his overseas flight glued to the coverage of the attempt on the former President's life ... and it bothered him so much, it impacted his practice round at Royal Troon on Sunday.

Lara Trump says she changed her RNC speech after someone tried taking out her father-in-law ... and the one she gave instead certainly resonated, especially with him.

Donald Trump's daughter-in-law -- who's married to his son, Eric Trump, and who serves as a co-chair for the Republican National Committee -- stepped up to the podium Tuesday at the party's convention in Milwaukee and delivered what many are calling powerful remarks.

Take a listen ... right out of the gate, LT acknowledges she had a very different speech written out before DT was shot on Saturday -- and she reflected on how seeing that felt.

Donald Trump's Secret Service detail is catching heat for a security failure after he was shot -- and an ex-agent who worked with him has thoughts on how they could've prevented this.

Mike de Geus -- who worked for the Secret Service during the Trump years, and who used to guard the former President -- tells TMZ there were a lot of problems he saw with the way the Secret Service handled things Saturday, including several glaring issues they missed.

He points out that there are very simple things the agency could've done to block off the clear line of sight Thomas Matthew Crooks had from a building outside the perimeter ... even if that technically wasn't within the Secret Service's ring of protection.

Whoever created a fake 'Simpsons' image, falsely suggesting the show predicted Donald Trump would be assassinated is drawing the ire of the show's head honcho, who calls it a sick move.

The drama kicked off shortly after Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on the ex-Prez -- a social media user posted a doctored animated image of Trump from "The Simpsons," showing him in a casket with the caption, "First time I've seen a 'Simpsons' prediction fail."

Now, this entire premise is based on misinformation (more on that in a minute) ... but "The Simpsons" showrunner Matt Selman is still slamming the image in the strongest possible terms.

1:54 PM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the shooting Tuesday was completely unrelated to the RNC -- and the reason Secret Service was on the ground was because agents happened to be in the area and simply rendered aid.

A homeless man was reportedly shot and killed not far from the Republican National Convention -- and while it doesn't seem tied to Donald Trump ... cops were out in force.

The shooting took place Tuesday in Milwaukee, about a mile outside the Fiserv Forum -- where there's a wide perimeter of security ... and where a police officer from Columbus, OH opened fire on a man -- who, according to eyewitnesses, was a vagrant in town.

The Secret Service beefed up security for Donald Trump in the weeks before the attempt on his life ... because of intelligence concerning an assassination plot by Iran.

The alleged Iranian threat was gathered from a human source in recent weeks and it was known by the U.S. Secret Service ... according to CNN, citing unnamed sources.

The report says there's no indication would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks -- the 20-year-old who tried and failed to kill Trump -- was connected to the alleged Iranian plot.

Cheryl Tyler, a former Secret Service Special Agent, is defending her female peers from a wave of criticism following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

In addition to protecting 2 presidents herself, Cheryl trained other agents, and she joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" -- in the wake of Saturday's attack -- to counter those hating on female agents, and to explain how difficult it is for any agent to get that detail ... whether they're female or male.

As Cheryl put it ... being a part of the Secret Service is no easy thing -- it's an elite group of specialists who are put through rigorous training and probation to earn the detail.

Thomas Matthew Crooks was branded a "shooter" by his peers years before his assassination attempt on Donald Trump ... so says a former classmate.

Julianna Grooms -- who attended Bethel Park High School with Trump's would-be assassin -- has shed more light on the bullying Thomas faced before his deadly attack at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

As Julianna told The New York Times ... Thomas was labeled "the school shooter" by his fellow students -- who apparently often teased him for his poor hygiene and body odor.