Judicial Watch has obtained records showing Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, exchanged messages regarding 3D printing in the months prior to the attack. The documents reveal a series of coded text messages between Crooks and an individual the Federal Bureau of Investigation described as an "unknown contact." On February 9, 2023, the contact asked Crooks, "Did you 3D print the parts?" Crooks replied, "Yes, except for the fan blades." The contact responded, "Woah that looks cool," and inquired further about the parts after Crooks sent a message that the FBI redacted.
Between May 21, 2023, and January 3, 2024, Crooks sent a sequence of short, often incoherent messages to a second redacted party. These texts included phrases such as "Hello red," "Hdudhdbdbbd," "7888ejdj," "Yolo," and "Red red." The FBI redacted any potential responses from this second individual.
The records also contain a notification from shipping company DHL regarding a package Crooks received from Hong Kong. Additionally, the release included 40 drone photographs taken by Crooks between February 6, 2024, and February 27, 2024. The images captured PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium, home venues for the MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates and the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.
Crooks' interest in 3D printing was previously reported by the New York Post after the outlet reviewed documents obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. According to those records, Crooks' father, Matthew Crooks, told investigators that his son used carbon fiber plastic, a dryer, and a toaster oven to create a Glock 19 handgun. Matthew Crooks stated that he forbade his son from using the firearm due to fears it would explode.
The assassination attempt on Trump resulted in the death of Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old fire chief who died immediately while shielding his family from gunfire. James Copenhaver, a 76-year-old veteran, was shot in the triceps and midsection, sustaining injuries to his kidneys and colon. Although Copenhaver was released from the hospital one week after the shooting, he died on September 23, 2026, due to complications arising from those injuries.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, stated that the new records provide additional context surrounding Crooks. Fitton called on the FBI to halt what he described as a slow release of heavily redacted records and to immediately provide the full investigative file, citing Copenhaver's recent death as a reason for greater transparency.