John Wolf, a neighbor of Thomas Crooks, the man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Trump, provides a chilling account of his brief interaction with the shooter before the incident.
In the aftermath of the shocking shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, neighbors of the accused gunman, Thomas Crooks, are coming to terms with the realization that "evil" lurked just down the street from their homes. John Wolf, who lives near the Crooks family, recalls his only encounter with the shooter as a deeply unsettling experience.
"I'm still in shock," Wolf told Fox News. "That's sheer fear. If [Trump] had his head turned, he would've had his brains blown out, and that was manufactured around the corner from my house."
Neighbor of Thomas Crooks Describes Eerie Encounter Before Trump Rally Shooting
Wolf described Crooks as a "creepy" individual who would often stare at people passing by without acknowledging them. "He looked up as though nobody had been passing him," Wolf said. "It was like he was in a trance."
Another neighbor, who runs through the neighborhood regularly, said she was disturbed by Crooks' behavior. "I tried to look over and smile and say hello," she recalled, but Crooks would simply ignore her. "He was just cold and distant," she said.
Neighbor of Thomas Crooks Describes Eerie Encounter Before Trump Rally Shooting
When she heard about the shooting, she was shocked to learn that the perpetrator lived so close to her. "It ended up being closer than I thought," she said. "All of a sudden, it's a neighbor."
An elderly woman down the street from the Crooks said she had occasional interactions with the gunman, who would help her with chores. "I would ask Tom, ‘Would you rake the leaves? Could you shovel the driveway?’" she said. "If I saw their mail, I'd pick it up."
Neighbor of Thomas Crooks Describes Eerie Encounter Before Trump Rally Shooting
She expressed both shock and anger at the shooting. "You get shocked, but you also get mad that something like this happened," she said.
After the incident, the neighborhood was evacuated for 24 hours, and residents were questioned by FBI agents. "They wanted to know whether I noticed any unusual activity, any unusual noises, whether I noticed people from the house [in the neighborhood]," one neighbor said.
Neighbor of Thomas Crooks Describes Eerie Encounter Before Trump Rally Shooting
Investigators visited the Crooks home multiple times, and packages remained on the doorstep for days before being brought inside. Carriers appeared to avoid putting mail in the family's mailbox.
Despite the recent police presence, neighbors expressed relief that things were finally calming down. "My wife and I used to watch police shows on TV," another neighbor said. "I would always ask her, jokingly, 'Why don't they stumble into our neighborhood and break down doors.' … It was a heavy police presence."
Neighbor of Thomas Crooks Describes Eerie Encounter Before Trump Rally Shooting
While the shooting has left a lasting scar on the community, residents emphasized that they still felt safe. "I'm very disappointed that this is what Bethel Park is going to be known for," one neighbor said.
