A video and a photograph widely circulating on the internet and social media have led many users to misidentify the man depicted as Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter of former United States President Donald Trump.
The picture shows a man’s side profile in a blue T-shirt, and it was shared by a troll X account with the username ‘@jewgazing’ after some users pointed out the striking resemblance to Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Video Claiming to Show Trump Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks
The 10-second video posted by the user said,
“My name is Thomas Matthew Crooks. I hate Republicans, I hate Trump. And guess what, you got the wrong guy.”
BREAKING: TROLL HAS BEEN FALSELY IDENTIFIED AS THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS.
An X user with long blonde hair and glasses, known as @jewgazing, is currently being falsely identified as the alleged shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks. He is live-tweeting to clarify that it is not him.
“My… pic.twitter.com/7auc5qoSze
— Only Mob King
(@OnlyMobKing) July 14, 2024
A media house reportedly used the video in its news bulletin describing the assassination attempt.
The video has since started circulating on social media, with many claiming that the shooter had previously publicly expressed hatred towards Trump.
The assassination attempt on former United States President Donald Trump has sent shockwaves around the world, and the shots fired by the assailant grazed Mr. Trump’s ear.
The incident also killed one spectator and grievously injured two others. The assailant was immediately neutralized by Secret Service personnel protecting the former President.
A fact check has revealed that the man seen in the image is not Crooks but an X user @jewgazing. The user has since made his account private.
An investigation by a media house was able to unearth two archives of @jewgazing, in which the user can be seen reaching out to several media handles to misidentify him as the shooter.
The reporter from the media house was able to access the @jewgazing X account and, after poring through the posts, it was clear that the user was not the deceased gunman.
There has been a lot of misinformation spread on social media surrounding the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Even though the FBI has confirmed that the person involved was 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, false accusations and confusion began appearing online.
Many social media users have claimed that Crooks was not the real shooter and have put forth their conspiracy theories.
One Facebook post states,
“It appears the actual ID of the shooter at the rally in PA is Maxwell Yearick.”
Another user claimed,
“Now, it’s being reported that Thomas Matthew Crooks is NOT the alleged shooter, and that it is a guy affiliated with ANTIFA who was actually arrested back in 2016 for being involved in an anti-Trump protest in Pittsburgh … His name is Maxwell Yearick,”
The posts also showed pictures of Maxwell Yearick, a man with long brown hair and ear piercings, who was arrested in 2016 following an altercation with police during Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh.
Also Read:
WATCH VIDEO: BlackRock Inc. Pulls Down Ad Featuring Trump Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks
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