Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Old video shows Trump’s rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks screaming “slash Republican throats.”
Fact
Video does not feature Thomas Matthew Crooks. The ASU President confirmed the same.
The former US President and Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt after a gunman fired shots during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. The accused, who was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper, has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park.
Now, several social media users, including verified handles, have shared a video claiming to show Crooks screaming “slash Republican throats, slash fascist throats..!” at a group of bystanders. Users alleged it to be an old video of the shooter who attacked Trump. Newschecker, however, found that the man seen in the video was not Thomas Matthew Crooks.
The video has been widely shared on X and Facebook since the identity of the shooter was revealed.
Such posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
A Google lens search on the keyframes of the viral video led us to a report by Daily Mail, dated February 6, 2020. Carrying the same footage, the report stated, “This is the shocking moment an Arizona State University student screams ‘Slash Republican throats’ on the university campus after Donald Trump was acquitted in his impeachment trial…”
Displaying the same video, a report by The Sun from February 2020 further corroborated that the incident took place on the Arizona State University campus. “A student was filmed screaming “Slash Republican throats” following Donald Trump’s acquittal at the close of his impeachment trial…Footage shows the unnamed man shouting at a group running a pro-Trump stand on the campus of Arizona State University,” the report stated.
We then looked up keywords “Arizona State University Student” and “Trump Shooter” on Google which yielded a statement by Michael M. Crow, the President of the University, dated July 15, 2024. “…the individual who attempted to assassinate former President Trump had no association with ASU and was not the person seen on a video on the ASU campus four years ago,” the statement read.
Also Read: Donald Trump Shot – Viral Image Does Not Show Hole In Republican Candidate’s Blazer Near His Chest
Adding, “ASU concluded its investigation back in 2020, in conjunction with the FBI, and determined the subject in the video was not a credible threat – and that person has a different name and different date of birth than the suspect in the attempted assassination of former President Trump over the weekend.”
Notably, the accused in Donald Trump’s assassination attempt, Thomas Matthew Crooks, graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 only, the school confirmed in a statement.
Crooks was reportedly working as a dietary aide at a nursing home in Bethel Park. He received an associate degree in engineering science two months ago from the nearby Community College of Allegheny County, reported New York Times.
Conclusion
Hence, the man seen screaming “slash Republican throats” in the viral video is not the shooter who opened fire during Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania in an assassination attempt.
Result: False
Sources
Report By Daily Mail, Dated February 6, 2020
Report By The Sun, Dated February 6, 2020
Statement By ASU President Michael M. Crow, Dated July 15, 2024
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
