Trump Shooter Texted with ‘Unknown Contact’ About 3D-Printed Parts Before Attempted Assassination

Newly released FBI records have shed additional light on the digital activity of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.

Among the records is a previously undisclosed text exchange between Crooks and an “unknown contact” concerning 3D-printed parts. The documents were obtained by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit and were released on October 2, 2026.

According to the records, on February 9, 2023, the unidentified person asked Crooks whether he had 3D-printed certain parts.

Crooks apparently responded that he had—except for the fan blades.

The exchange began after Crooks sent something to the contact, although the relevant portion of the message or attachment was redacted. The unidentified person reportedly responded that it “looks cool” before asking about the 3D-printed parts.

What Were the Parts For?

That remains one of the biggest unanswered questions.

The newly released records do not identify exactly what Crooks was printing, nor do they establish that the unidentified contact was involved in planning the 2024 assassination attempt.

The FBI nevertheless classified the communications as pertinent to its investigation of the Butler shooting.

The messages have attracted additional attention because investigators had previously learned that Crooks experimented with 3D printing. Records of an FBI interview with his father indicated that Crooks had owned a 3D printer and had at one point attempted to make a handgun using one.

The Butler Rally Attack

On July 13, 2024, Crooks opened fire from a rooftop near Trump’s campaign rally in Butler.

A bullet grazed Trump’s ear, while several people in the crowd were struck. Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee, was killed, and two other people were wounded. Crooks was subsequently killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.

The FBI has continued examining Crooks’ electronic devices and other evidence in an effort to understand his actions and motivations. Earlier investigative findings included searches related to mass shootings and the attempted assassination of Slovakia’s prime minister.

A New Piece of a Still-Incomplete Puzzle

The newly released texts provide another glimpse into Crooks’ activities before the shooting, but they don’t by themselves answer the larger questions surrounding the attack.

Most notably, the identity of the person on the other end of the conversation remains unclear, and the heavily redacted records leave important context missing.

For now, the messages are best understood as new investigative evidence—not proof that the unknown contact helped plan or facilitate the assassination attempt.

As additional FBI records become public, investigators, journalists and the public may gain a clearer picture of what Crooks was doing in the months and years before the Butler shooting.