The 20-year-old Pennsylvania man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump Internet research was conducted on a recent high-profile shooting that resulted in landmark convictions against both of the shooter’s parents for ignoring warning signs about their son, sources told CBS News.
Searches of gunman Thomas Crooks’ smartphone focused on the parents of Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley, FBI and Secret Service officials told members of Congress Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the briefing. The shooter’s internet search history, which also included images of Trump and President Biden, did not lead investigators to a motive, the people said.
This detail, that he might have thought about the impact of such an act on his parents, could give a little insight into Scammers“the state of mind he was in before he decided to open fire on Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. It also raises questions about whether his parents could face legal consequences, as prosecutors increasingly use new legal theories to hold gun owners responsible for their children’s actions.
But experts told CBS News there is still too little information about what Crooks’ parents knew and did in the days and hours leading up to the shooting to assess the potential legal fallout.
“The facts should approach or exceed the egregious level of the Crumbley case: multiple serious warning signs over a long period of time, improper storage, close involvement in the shooter’s use of the weapons, etc.,” said Andrew Willinger, executive director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were both sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison earlier this year after Michigan juries convicted them of involuntary manslaughter. The rare case was considered historic, as the parents were held accountable for the crimes of their child, who killed four students and injured seven others in the Oxford High School shooting on Nov. 30, 2021.
And last November, the father of a 19-year-old man accused of killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, pleaded guilty to seven counts of reckless driving. Prosecutors alleged the man should have known his son posed a danger to the public when he signed his application for a firearm owner’s identification card.
The AR-style rifle used in Saturday’s attack belonged to the shooter’s father, Matthew Crooks. Law enforcement sources said the gun was purchased legally in 2013.
Matthew Crooks called police before the shooting at the rally, concerned about his son and his whereabouts, a law enforcement source told CBS News. The family is cooperating with federal investigators, according to the FBI.
Adam Garber, executive director of CeaseFire PA, a gun violence prevention organization in Pennsylvania, said the details of that call to local police, or what the parents knew and when, could provide more answers about whether charges can be filed.
“The prosecutor will have to ask two key questions. First, what did the parents know about their son’s intentions and when did they know it?” Garber said. “Second, how did their son obtain the gun and did they know where he was taking it? These questions about intent and access are critical to assessing their culpability.”
Willinger and Garber said that based on what is currently known, Crooks’ parents are unlikely to be held criminally liable for their son’s actions because Pennsylvania does not have a secure storage law, a requirement that generally applies to gun owners to secure firearms in homes with minors, and because he was over 18.
“Ultimately, it will be up to the district attorney to determine whether to bring charges,” Garber said.
